


As They Will

by TrashGarden



Series: As They Will [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Knotting, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Omega Verse, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, Smut, Training Camp, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:45:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 59,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6177085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashGarden/pseuds/TrashGarden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Look, I don't want to force you, but I absolutely will, if I have to. Submit to me, and we will reach the top together. I can give you everything Iwaizumi Hajime couldn't and you know this. I won't tolerate a mate who doesn't trust me. I can't let you fight me on this." I won't let you fight me on this.</p><p>"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you claimed me, yeah?" </p><p>[Alternatively: Kuroo is sick of these two and their shit already, and the semester has just started.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Leniency

**Author's Note:**

> Omegaverse university, post-canon. Please be nice about plot devices and typos, my hands are tiny and I have no friends to beta read this. 
> 
> Don't read this if you are hardcore IwaOi because I will disappoint you.

The repetitive whack of multiple volleyballs being pelted over the multiple nets resounded through an expansive, updated training facility a short train ride away from Tokyo’s most prestigious university, teams from all over the prefecture practicing warm-ups on the first day of the collective training camp. Taking place not long after the university’s opening ceremony, the camp was reserved for teams the Olympic scouts had their eyes on, with most players using the opportunity to get to know their competition before prefecture preliminaries. The slap of various teams’ liberos receiving vicious serves echoed off the large walls and out the door, where a certain omega had been running laps around the multiple gyms by himself. The exhausted sprinter finally came to a stop in front of the gym doors, stopping when he saw the figure of Kuroo Tetsurou taking a water break.

 

Leaning against the gym door was the messy-haired alpha, his black hair made even messier by the harsh training, sticking to his forehead. He wiped his sweating face with the bottom of his t-shirt, one hand on his hip.

 

“Ah...hah...Kuroo,” A panting Oikawa Tooru whined, hands on his knees and auburn hair falling against his red face, “They didn’t tell me we were starting the year with a training camp...and why am I always singled out anyway?” Times like this were when the omega missed his best friend. Iwaizumi Hajime probably would have stood up for him against the coach. He couldn’t blame him for not joining the team though; his studies were more important, and he wasn’t scouted like Oikawa. Oikawa knew it hurt Iwaizumi’s alpha pride, so they haven’t talked about it since they entered university. He couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of his childhood friend, who was probably enjoying himself anywhere but here.

 

“You really fit the stereotype of a whiny omega when you have to run laps,” Kuroo chuckled, leaning down to Oikawa’s head. “It’s what you get, you know. You shouldn’t have let the coach see you run your mouth at Ushijima, clearly he thought you would be better off running those pretty legs of yours.”

 

Oikawa groaned, “What did Coach even expect, scouting us both?”

 

“Not everyone follows whatever ridiculous drama you have in your head, Oikawa,” Nekoma’s former captain sneered, giving Oikawa a cold towel. “Ushijima has been nothing but respectful. You should take a page out of his book.”

 

The tall omega rolled his eyes, stealing a water bottle from the black-haired alpha, “Oh please, like he even knows how to read.”

 

“I know how to read, Oikawa.”

 

 _Shit_.

 

A cringe shook the omega’s body and made him drop the water bottle, while a hearty laugh wracked through Kuroo. Oikawa looked up and behind him, an embarrassed flush rising over his features. He didn’t know how this alpha had managed to sneak up on him without alerting him, with his scent as potent as it was during training. Oikawa’s sheepish gaze followed up the long expanse of Ushijima’s powerful legs, up a toned torso, and to a stoic expression with eyes that were staring pointedly at the omega. As much as Oikawa hated to admit, college had been treating his former rival well, with his shoulders somehow seeming even broader than high school. He wouldn’t be surprised if the alpha had grown a few centimeters as well. His handsome face caught Oikawa’s eyes, refusing to let go, his alpha nature imposing on the omega, demanding he not look away.

 

“Oh ho, Ushijima-kun! How nice to see you,” Kuroo’s sing-song voice rang out, clearly enjoying Oikawa’s suffering. “We were just talking about you. All good things, obviously.”

 

“W-what are you doing, stalking me or something?” asked Oikawa nervously, backing away from Ushijima’s overwhelming presence. As an omega, he had to constantly fight to keep from subconsciously submitting to any alpha he encountered on the court, something he’d trained himself to do for years. The humid air hung between them, the sound of other players training emanating from the gym behind them.

 

Ushijima broke his locked gaze to look over at Kuroo’s grinning face behind Oikawa. A sinister aura radiated towards the former Nekoma captain. Ushijima gave a slightly questioning, almost accusatory look before returning his eyes back to the omega in front of him. His large hands held up a piece of cloth outstretched towards the setter, offering it up for inspection. Oikawa’s expression turned into confusion, then recognition--this wasn’t a piece of cloth, but his new warm-up jacket he’d bought upon entering university; it merely looked miniscule in Ushijima’s huge grasp.

 

“You-” began Oikawa.  

 

Ushijima cut him off, his voice curt. “Bokuto-san found this jacket in the locker room. It had your scent all over it, so you must have left it after the last match. He asked me to return it.” Oikawa’s mind searched for a face to the name, then recalled that it was Fukurodani’s former ace that was here with his team as well. Of course Ushijima knew one of nation’s fellow top aces, Oikawa thought bitterly. If he recalled correctly, this “Bokuto-san” went to another powerhouse university, along with Karasuno’s Asahi Azumane. If he’d been paying attention, he could’ve felt Kuroo’s scent turn slightly uneasy.

 

While processing what had happened, the omega stood stunned, sharp mind unable to think of any sarcastic quip. Shame welled up, red hot from his stomach up to his cheeks. Shame at realizing he had been berating Ushijima for a good deed, shame that his new teammate Kuroo was here to witness it, shame that Ushijima could tell his scent apart from others. Sweat dripped from his hair onto the concrete below.

 

“T-thanks, Ushiwaka...” Oikawa reached out and took his jacket, talented fingers grazing the warmth of Ushijima’s calloused ones.

 

Ushijima merely gave a curt nod in acknowledgement and replied, “Don’t call me that.”

 

And with that, the ace walked past both Kuroo and Oikawa and into the gym.

 

Oikawa released a relieved sigh, slouching to the ground. He picked up the water bottle he’d dropped and let out a whine.

 

“Hey asshole, why didn’t you tell me he was coming up behind me?” Oikawa berated the middle blocker, prodding his solid leg with his hand to draw the alpha’s attention. The humiliated setter looked up into Kuroo’s dark eyes and noticed that his eyes were clouded over with an emotion Oikawa had never seen before in the short time he’d know him so far. He finally picked up on the slight, aggressive change in Nekoma’s former captain’s presence.

 

Kuroo Tetsurou wanted desperately to make fun of Oikawa, but his own alpha senses caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle up with electricity, his hormones agitated and inflamed with the sense of a challenge. Did he just pick up on _jealousy_ from Ushijima? _Nonsense_ , he told himself. It was no secret that his affections were directed towards a certain blond omega in Sendai, and it’s not like Ushijima was mated as far as he knew. He had no Bond Mark, so Kuroo could only assume he had no omega.

 

Confrontations between alphas, betas, and even alphas on the same team weren’t uncommon at athletic events, due to the high amount of hormones running amuck, but usually petty fights were reserved for high school and middle school events. By university, most alphas had calmed down, having had a few years to adjust to alpha senses, and Kuroo knew for a fact that Shiratorizawa’s former ace had presented years ago and was no new fledgling that could use that excuse. Most alphas were able to keep their calm unless in they were in rut, their mate was threatened, or another alpha was encroaching upon their omega, and-

 

_Oh._

 

_Oh ho ho._

 

_This makes things way more interesting._

 

Kuroo’s eyes narrowed, a smile spreading across his lips. A laugh shook his heavy shoulders as he was pulled back out of thought, his senses calming down, the feeling of a threat no longer present in his system. He inhaled a deep breath, his brain contemplating how this would play out. He made a mental note to meet up with Bokuto later and discuss the state of affairs with him.

 

Meanwhile, Oikawa was pouting from being ignored, having stood up and giving Kuroo a dirty look, his attractive features twisted in a sarcastic scowl. “Welcome back, space cadet! You find any aliens up there? What’s so funny?”

 

Kuroo shot over a knowing glance towards the omega, his face wearing his signature grin, “Haha. I was just thinking about how fun college is so far... Let’s go inside, I’m sure the coach wants you to set for Ushijima to show off to the other coaches.”

 

Oikawa followed him inside, making sure to dodge any stray volleyballs heading his way. Wouldn’t want to ruin his pretty face, or Iwa-chan would probably punch his face and make it even worse.

 

Kuroo hit the nail on the head, as all eyes in the crowded gymnasium were on him once he entered the court. A practice match against a team from Osaka had his attention, and the coach had put the three first years in the rotation, with their team having won a set and Osaka having claimed one of their own. They were mostly through the last set, with only two points to set match. The omega fought off the blush that was still dusted on his face from remembering their encounter earlier. This was his chance to show everyone what he was made of, that he didn’t need Ushijima and never did. Oikawa pulled a practice jersey over his frame, jealous at how Ushijima’s jersey barely fit over his broad shoulders, also noting that Kuroo had a similar problem putting his on. Oikawa didn’t miss Kuroo’s leering chuckle, indicating he caught onto Oikawa’s insecurity at his omega features. _Whatever_ , his mind rationalized half heartedly, _they probably accidentally gave Ushiwaka a smaller jersey._

 

The setter’s heart raced, pumped up to show all of these national teams just how powerful a setter from the countryside could be. The irony did not escape him, the fact that he’d waited so long to prove himself in front of national players, yet his first opportunity is with Ushijima, the very man who had kept him from reaching the national stage all throughout high school. He was sure Iwaizumi would be utterly furious if he was there to witness this first set with the same player they’d sworn as their enemy.

 

Upon taking their places on the court, Oikawa took a note of the Osaka team’s players; they were obviously weak on defense, with their tallest players having been rotated to the back row. Kuroo was next to him on his left, Ushijima on his right. The omega inhaled in excitement, finally allowing it to sink in that he was finally _here_ , even if it was a practice match. The team’s manager that was overseeing the match blew her whistle, indicating the start of the set. A crowd of other players had formed around the gym, interested to see the outcome.

 

Their serve. The serve hit over the net in a powerful show of force, reminding Oikawa just how high end moves from the nation’s top players were.

 

_Whack._

 

As difficult as that serve had been, Osaka’s lithe omega libero dove with stunning grace to receive the ball, expertly aiming the ball towards the setter. Oikawa noted the setter, recognizing him from magazines, realizing that he wasn’t a first year like him and the two alphas to his sides. Their team prepared for a spike from the right, with even Ushijima’s eyes following the relatively short wing spiker in front of him. In the last second, Oikawa looked back at the team and watched the setter’s foot position, and realized a huge wing spiker from the back was coming to the front. Without thinking, Oikawa shouted, “KUROO-SAN!”

 

The black-haired alpha caught Oikawa’s words in the nick of time, using powerful legs to run and leap forward with Oikawa on the left side to block. The impact from a national level spike stung, but it signified victory for the omega and the middle blocker. The ball bounced off their hands and down onto the court, giving them a point closer to their goal. Oikawa and Kuroo wore matching smirks.

 

“Nice, Kuroo-san,” Oikawa complimented.

 

He didn’t understand why Kuroo avoided meeting his gaze.

 

Kuroo sighed as the ball was thrown to their side for yet another serve. Match point. He felt bad for Oikawa, but perhaps now wasn’t the best time to insinuate there was anything but friendship between him and the omega, especially since prying eyes were watching their every move. _I’m such a good friend_ , the alpha rolled his eyes.

 

The next serve was received unfortunately easily by the same libero, and returned. Kuroo had managed to freak out their frazzled wing spiker at the last minute and he hit the ball away from Kuroo’s block but into the immediate arms of their libero. Their libero received the ball in a fluid motion, his body already pointed towards Oikawa..

 

This was it.

 

Oikawa’s fingers were already itching for the ball before it had even completely left the libero’s forearms. The ball flew up, almost high enough for the setter to be blinded by the overhead lights. Oikawa glanced at Kuroo, then to Ushijima, and was utterly shocked. Ushijima’s face was hungry, his eyes wide and pupils dilated, strong arms already folding back in preparation for a spike. The look on his face was of a starving beast ready to steal what was rightfully his.  He noticed all three of the tallest players on Osaka’s back row had come forward, all focused on Ushijima, and Oikawa entertained the thought for a split second, the thought of maybe setting to Kuroo instead. Ushijima stared straight at the omega’s auburn eyes with intent, a ravenous glint so heated it was a breath away from being a threat.

 

The setter wondered what Ushijima’s spike would look like orchestrated from him. There was no way he could get through three heavy blockers. Perhaps this would be a good lesson to the alpha.

 

He tossed towards Ushijima. A beautiful toss, aimed towards the soaring trajectory of Ushijima’s left hand. The wing spiker’s powerful muscles moved like a lion made of steel, his entire body lifting from the ground in preparation, seemingly throttling the entirety of his strength to his left arm as he brutally brought his hand to the ball. The resounding _CRACK_ echoed in Oikawa’s ears as the alpha made contact with his toss, and immediately following, the deafening _THUD_ as the ball was crushed against the floor just behind the back row players.

The Osaka team hadn’t even had time to react.

 

Ushijima dropped back to the ground, hitting the court with a grunt, piercing gold eyes looking back at the setter. _His_ setter. The spike was perfect, exactly what the omega had been trying to draw out of Iwaizumi for years. Ushijima’s chest was rising rapidly, his entire intimidating frame trembling slightly, striking Oikawa as odd. Oikawa knew that Ushijima’s endurance was subpar to none; he was not exhausted or out of breath.

 

He was excited.

 

A thick pulse surged through Oikawa upon seeing Ushijima so proudly display his capabilities, starting deep in his lower half, traveling through his body until he wasn’t sure if the sweat on his face was due to exertion or not. _Oh fuck, not here. Not here._ The players in the gym erupted in awe once they realized what had happened. The rest of their team swarmed the six players, Ushijima, Kuroo, and Oikawa included. Meanwhile, their coach was already bragging to the other coaches.

 

“Thank you guys!”

 

“That was fucking awesome, what was that even?!”

 

“You guys saved us!”

 

“Now we don’t have to run dive drills, thank god!”

 

Oikawa tried not to think of the hungry look on Ushijima’s face after he’d spiked his toss. He tried not to think of the hot flush it inspired in him, prayed that no one smelled the small trickle of slick he had involuntarily released. He shouldn’t be experiencing anything like this, his heat wasn’t for another couple _weeks_.

 

“Yeah, be grateful to us!” a wide smile spread across Oikawa’s face to conceal his anxiety.

 

Kuroo snorted, “You just didn’t want to have another punishment today.”

 

“Shut up, no one asked-"

 

It was then that it struck him that he needed to find a bathroom to clean up. Now. Thankfully, the camp was done for the day, with everyone but the losing Osaka team, who was doing dive drills, retiring to their rooms. Sprinting faster than he could have while doing his punishment earlier in the day, the setter rushed towards the showers near his room. Thankfully no one was around to watch him scamper, since the vast majority of the camp participants were in the dining hall. On his way to the omega showers, a deep voice called out to him from the hallway, halting him in his tracks with authority.

 

“Oikawa.”

 

The shorter male looked over his shoulder, eyebrows turned up in disdain. “What, are you here to rub it in my face that you got what you wanted all along? Ushiwaka-chan, I don’t have time-”

 

“I wanted to show you for so long.” interrupted the ace. The look of hunger was replaced by a look of almost temporary satisfaction, like a wolf fed scraps to stave off an attack. “I wanted to show you how far we could go. There is no way anyone in Japan can stop our team now.”

 

The omega had to fight down his emotions when he remembered that Ushijima never lied. This man truly thought he could bring Oikawa to the international stage with him, and it was torture, dangling that carrot in front of him like Ushijima himself wasn’t the one who’d denied him access to what he’d wanted for years. The alpha grabbed onto his arm, and Oikawa responded with sharp intake of breath, heat searing up from Ushijima’s fingers through the rest of his body. He couldn’t handle Ushijima being so close, not while there is a small leak of slick dripping down his shorts. If Ushijima picked up on the scent, he would be humiliated. He would never have the courage to face Ushijima again, or any of his other teammates for that matter. He already faced a decent amount of discrimination for being an omega, there was no way he was going to let everything he’d worked for fall down so easily. Iwaizumi had worked so hard with him to bring him to where he was, and now he had to represent the both of them. There was simply no room for a meddling alpha like Ushijima, teammate or not.

 

At least, that was his brain was saying. The wetness between his legs wasn’t listening to him, unfortunately.

 

“That was fun,” Oikawa started carefully, attempting to pull his arm out of Ushijima’s grasp. “...But I _really_ can’t stand the sight of you. I’m leaving.”

 

“Oikawa-” Ushijima’s brows furrowed, pulling him closer. The alpha’s intimidating eyes searched him all over, unrelenting, almost as if he didn’t even hear the omega’s protests. Oikawa’s sharp eyes caught the smallest inhale of Ushijima’s nose, followed by the grit of teeth in his strong jawline. The wing spiker moved just a few centimeters, catching Oikawa’s eyes in his gaze. He was so close that the setter could almost feel Ushijima’s hot breath, detecting the aroma of spicy mint and Ushijima’s heavy scent mingling in the air between them.

 

“You...you’re...?” Ushijima quietly whispered, a deep rumble from his throat, the gears working together to see exactly why Oikawa was in such a hurry. His grip involuntarily tightened around Oikawa’s bicep at the thought of him trying to leave, like a dog clenching a bone in sharp jaws. His eyes widened, eyebrows furrowing deep, reacting to what his alpha senses were picking up on. "...From playing?"

 

_Shit._

 

_Shit shit shit._

 

He knew. There was no way he didn't know.

 

This was dangerous.

 

Ushijima’s rough hand almost scalded Oikawa with heat as he moved himself even closer to the omega’s scent that was slowly getting stronger and stronger with each passing breath. Oikawa flew into a panic, wild eyes darting around the deserted hallway, subconsciously looking around for Iwaizumi. Usually his childhood friend was the one that always protected him from any stray alphas, but now he was nowhere to be seen, leaving him to fend for himself under the pheromones that Ushijima was subconsciously projecting between them.

 

Under most circumstances, both male and female omegas went into heat four to six times a year, depending on their fertility, activity level, and any heat suppressants or birth control they may be taking. Oikawa’s next heat wasn’t due for another week or two at least, but it wasn’t unheard of for an omega to go into heat around the alpha that had claimed them or even a particularly dominant alpha that was scent marking them. Heat cycles were often unpredictable in terms of length and intensity, but normally a single mating session was enough to quell a heat for up to a few hours, and entire heat cycles could be stifled or put off by taking suppressants.

 

Thankfully Oikawa had a few suppressants left in his bag from a past away game, and he made a mental note to thank whichever deity he owed such a favor. As much as he’d like to pray that the pills were still viable and not expired, his current concern was a very tall, imposing wing spiker who was already invading his personal space, with heat radiating from the spot on his arm where they connected.

 

“H-hey, Ushi-Ushiwaka,” Oikawa stammered, long legs starting to feel weak from the proximity of such an intense alpha, his voice raising a pitch bordering on a very omegan whine. “I _really_ need to go. Please.”

 

However, hearing the setter emit such a pleading, desperate voice prompted the exact opposite intended reaction from Ushijima. The alpha was becoming hard in his track pants, at this point so close to the omega that he could feel the heat of telltale hardness against his thigh. Slick was now leaking freely down his thighs and he wouldn’t have been surprised if it hadn’t been visible past the line of his shorts on his thighs.

 

“Oikawa.” The taller male gave a hoarse whisper, full of urgency, speaking the setter’s name as if it was something to be hidden, not allowed, restricted. The thick purr of an aroused alpha slipped from Ushijima’s lips. Even if Oikawa wasn’t on the verge of a heat cycle, he wasn’t completely sure his body wouldn’t have responded.

 

No.

 

This isn’t right.

 

Iwaizumi Hajime’s face flashed in front of Oikawa’s eyes, images of the childhood friend that already possessed his heart flooding his memory. Iwaizumi was everything he wanted, the only one who had stuck by him all these years, the only one who truly looked out for him. When Iwaizumi first presented as an alpha back in junior high, Oikawa almost immediately presented as an omega, so even their parents saw it as a sign of their compatibility. Knowing he could be Iwaizumi’s mate was the only reason he was even at peace with his omega nature. There was no way he was risking everything with Iwaizumi just for a horny alpha responding mindlessly to the fluids leaking from him, driven purely by instinct and nothing even close to the feelings Iwaizumi felt for him. They had already fooled around outside of heat and rut cycles, but had only gone so far as oral and heavy petting, with Iwaizumi being the one that wanted to be a responsible alpha and wait until at least past high school, society’s respectful age range for bonding. He had recently asked to let Iwaizumi Claim him, to properly give him his Bond Mark at his next heat, now that they were finally in university. He couldn’t let anything get in the way of his plans.

 

But this was very much _not_ according to plan. He didn’t plan to become wet like a newly presented omega bitch in their first heat just by being around Ushijima’s pheromones in such close quarters. He didn’t plan to be faltering under Ushijima’s, his rival’s, harsh, domineering gaze as his body began to desire more contact than the grasp of thick fingers around his arm. No, this was humiliating and this isn’t what Oikawa wanted.

 

“Oi, Ushijima-san, is that you?” The voice of their beta manager shouted out by the end of the corridor, interrupting Oikawa’s struggles. “We made a plate for you, are you eating with us?”

 

Ushijima’s blown out, hungry pupils darted back behind his back for a split second to confirm the voice, his attention slipping for just a moment. Oikawa instinctively took this opportunity to escape, using short fingernails to slice the alpha’s forearm with shallow cuts. Ushijima hissed, recoiling, looking back up only to see the flash of brown hair darting into the omega showers.

 

With only the lingering scent on his palm, the alpha’s previous arousal diminished, though not without visible effort. A frustrated, guttural groan was pushed out of his throat. Adjusting his track pants, he made his way back to their confused manager and towards the dining hall where Kuroo and the others were probably waiting. Giving one last glance at the door to the showers, Ushijima cursed under his breath, angry at himself for his lack of control. This was the most frustrated he’d been since last playing against Karasuno.

 

Meanwhile, with adrenaline and pheromones rushing through his veins, a frantic Oikawa desperately attempted to calm his senses, to recover. He ran to the sinks, turning on a faucet, shaky hand ruffling through his bag, past his jacket, and to the tabs of pills he kept in the bottom. After swallowing a suppressant, he splashed his face with water. The flow of slick had decreased since departing from Ushijima’s strong clutches, but it would hopefully stop completely once in the shower and once the suppressant kicked in. Ushijima aside, he couldn’t afford to go into heat during such an important training camp, at the start of the season no less. He’d worked too hard, even injured himself training, to let his volleyball career end for a stupid heat cycle.

 

Quickly shedding his clothes soiled with sweat and slick, Oikawa got in one of the showers offered in the bathroom. This bathroom was exclusively for omega, male and female, yet at a camp like this, where most of the males were alphas or betas, it was no shock that he was alone at the moment.

 

 _Fucking biology_ , Oikawa cursed inwardly, letting cold water run down his toned body. _If only Iwa-chan was there to help me...No, he would be really fucking pissed to find out Ushijima of all people almost triggered my heat. I can't tell him anything._

  
This training camp was looking to be a real fucking hassle.


	2. Urgency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After I wrote chapter 2, I realized it was twice as long as the first chapter WHOOPS LOL
> 
> So I split it and am putting up chapter 3 tomorrow
> 
> As usual, please excuse any typos or inconsistency, hands are tiny, no friends to beta read, etc etc

Night leaves no light aside from the leaking streetlamps through the window of Ushijima’s temporary dorm at the training facility. Most of the athletes were passed out or making phone calls to family and friends. Shifting every so often, he laid in his bed, unable to calm his mind enough to sleep.

 

Ushijima wants Oikawa to be his setter. He had waited, watching, for years, for Oikawa to follow him to the top. He saw unlimited potential in the tall omega, from his beautiful serves to his deadly analytic strategy. Now that university was upon them, finally he had been separated from his protective alpha friend. Ushijima had always picked up on Oikawa's scent every time he saw the omega to make sure Iwaizumi hadn't marked him, and it gave him visceral pleasure to know that he hadn't claimed Oikawa, even when they had entered university.

 

Oikawa's scent drove him crazy, drove him to hit harder, faster, yet calmed his senses even without purring. When he would go into his ruts in high school, it was a pair of red brown eyes and a mint jacket that should have been purple he thought of, the thought of mischievous orbs looking up at him in pure submission. He felt little shame, only a possessive yearning. Plenty of omega would invite him to court due to his alpha lineage and overwhelming presence, but he saw small, dainty mates as useless, not worthy of his attention. Simply put, he was strong, and he needed a strong omega as his mate, a partner he could cherish and use as a weapon. He realized that Oikawa was the first person he genuinely wanted to be on his team unconditionally, that he was attracted to that raw power he knew would be unleashed inside of him, if he could only sink his teeth in the setter’s skin and never let him escape.

 

These obscene, obsessive thoughts somewhat disturbed him, and he had told himself when he agreed to accept this university’s offer that he would have to be satisfied with owning Oikawa’s talent, even if that was the only part he could own. At the practice game against Osaka today, Ushijima could barely control his alpha leanings, something he hadn’t experienced before during a game. He had felt the barrier between them crumbling, cracks spreading through the wall that had kept them apart. Finally what he wanted was in his grasp.

 

When he’d encountered Oikawa after the game, he knew his senses picked up on a very particular something, something the dormant knot in his loins wouldn’t let him forget. Even more erotic than Oikawa on the verge of a heat was Oikawa on the verge of a heat that _his_ pheromones had caused. This meant that this wasn’t all an illusion in his head, pointless masturbatory fantasies his alpha instincts implanted, this was a sign that he might still have a chance to claim this weapon for his own. He knew Oikawa Tooru felt the wall cracking as well.

 

He made a note not to mention to Oikawa that he contemplated keeping the omega’s jacket for himself and using the scent for his next rut. With that, he fell asleep, preparing for an early alarm.

 

Oikawa woke up in his own bed at the dorm, huddled under the covers, the sun not completely out due to the early hour they were expected to be at practice. His heat suppressant had finally kicked in, giving him a semblance of pride back. After much thought, he finally figured it must have been triggered simply by being around such a high concentration of aggressive alphas, and Ushijima must have just been the last straw. Hopefully he’d be able to stave off this heat long enough to finish the camp, with the train leaving back to the campus leaving tomorrow night.

 

Throughout the next day, Oikawa lamented how he has to have Ushijima on his team, apparently not learning his lesson from the previous day’s punishment or even caring about the results of the practice match. Ushijima is eerily quiet, deciding to speak with his actions rather than empty words, and choosing to let Oikawa overcompensate for the events that occurred in the hallways yesterday. Oikawa tossed to him begrudgingly, and Ushijima slams every ball to the ground regardless, agitated that he has to prove himself over and over for even the slightest bit of a glance from Oikawa.

 

A loud SMACK cracked through the air, reverberating through the crowded gym. On the court, Ushijima’s powerful body had landed back on the ground, both feet planted in a sturdy posture. Kuroo joined him a split second after from the other side of the net, tenderly shaking his hands. Oikawa studied both the alpha’s forms, picking out the small details of his teammates’ abilities.

 

“Whoa, careful there, Ushijima-kun! I’d like my arms for the rest of the season, yeah?” Kuroo cringed, his muscular arms stinging. If he hadn’t moved mere inches to the right when Ushijima spiked the last toss, he could have broken his wrist. The black-haired blocker shrugged in relief, thanking the fact that he’d spent years training with Bokuto’s powerful spikes, or he would have received the full brunt of Ushijima’s power.  

 

“Aw, poor Kuroo-chan!” Oikawa sneers, laughing from Ushijima’s side of the net. “So delicate, ne?”

 

“Why don’t you say that over here, asshole?” an agitated Kuroo snarled back. He could smell Ushijima’s alpha hormones, bristling the hair on the back of his neck again. Sometimes he wondered if Oikawa was being purposefully dense, or if he simply picked up on other alpha’s intentions too easily. An intervention was needed, regardless.

 

“Next game.” Ushijima’s interruption cut before any of Oikawa’s attempted banter. “We have another practice match with a team from Hokkaido soon.”

 

“Why don’t we take a break, Ushijima-kun? I should probably ice my hand anyway, right?” Kuroo’s eyes glinted with mischief towards the ace. “Oikawa, we’ll meet back here in twenty minutes?”

 

The setter nodded in agreement, taking a gulp of the water bottle he’d prepared on the bench, wiping his forehead with a towel. Playing with Ushijima drained him physically and emotionally. “That’s fine, I need to call Iwa-chan, anyway.”

 

Kuroo was the only one that noticed the predatory flash in the other alpha’s eyes, looking into the gold orbs while speaking to the omega, “Just don’t let coach catch you. He’ll make you run again if he thinks you’re slacking off. Ushijima-kun, come with me to get me some ice! You have to take responsibility for trying to kill me.”

 

Before the taller alpha could utter a word of protest, he was dragged away by Kuroo’s arm, the same one he was complaining about, “After all, don’t want to do anything _rash_ , do we?”

 

Ushijima stiffened at the contact from his sly teammate, eyes darting over to the oblivious Oikawa who’d already left to go outside, presumably for his phone call. The ace made effort to pull away from Kuroo, an instinctual urge rising up, the desire to keep Oikawa from contacting Iwaizumi Hajime. The black-haired blocker merely tightened his grip; he rarely exerted his alpha dominance over others, only saving it for moments when it mattered, usually preferring to leave persuasion up to his natural charisma. In return, he received a deadly look from the alpha his hand gripped, aggressive intent not going unnoticed. Kuroo pulled Ushijima towards an empty locker room. He may not be as large as Ushijima but he was definitely no pup, and had strength that wasn’t to be laughed at.

 

“You’re scent marking Oikawa, aren’t you?” Kuroo’s low voice quietly and ominously cut through Ushijima’s thoughts, barely heard over the commotion outside of the previously empty locker room they occupied.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even so, the smallest hint of hesitation gripped Ushijima’s reply.

 

“You don't have to lie to me, Ushijima-kun." Kuroo stated, leaving little room for argument as he stood between Ushijima and the door leading back into the gym. "You scent marked that jacket of his before you gave it back to him, didn't you?"

 

"I..." Ushijima paused, grabbing a volleyball off a nearby bench, "I'm not doing it on purpose."

 

Kuroo waved his hand, not hiding the mischief in his retort, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You should have better control over your pheromones, though. You're not a pup."

 

Ushijima merely shrugged, squeezing the volleyball in his hands with more effort than he should have. "Is it that obvious?"

 

"Nah, don't worry. The hormones around these training camps are always kind of a mess, but I had a hunch. The others shouldn't notice anything. I only noticed since Oikawa and I had practiced together a decent amount."

 

The ace's eyes rapidly turned back up to Kuroo’s scheming pair, the poor volleyball on the verge of annihilation at the force of huge palms and fingertips.

 

Noticing the abrupt change in the wing spiker's temper, Kuroo was quick to ease Ushijima, "Relax! Oikawa isn't my type. He's all yours, buddy. I'm just saying, be careful. Don't want to start any drama in front of our sempai teammates, do we? Even worse, we don’t need any other teams’ alphas picking up on Oikawa’s state of affairs, in case what happened at the game yesterday happens again."

 

A tense pause let Kuroo know that Ushijima knew exactly what he was referring to. The line of Ushijima’s hard body softened, his shoulders relaxing, temper calmed by Kuroo’s reassurance, even if he was perturbed by Kuroo’s blatant admission that he’d picked up on the scent of Oikawa’s slick. Maybe this messy-haired joker wasn’t an enemy, he resigned.

 

Continuing, Kuroo advised with caution. “Just know that you’ve got your work cut out for you. Oikawa isn’t exactly the model of a quiet, submissive omega.”

 

The smallest hint of a grin shadowed Ushijima’s lips, conveying a twinge of fondness and excitement. “I wouldn’t want him if he was.”

 

Nekoma’s former captain raised his eyebrows at the ace, his features brightened with curiosity. He almost pitied the larger alpha, and he fought to not roll his eyes. _He must have it bad,_ Kuroo reasoned. _Oikawa is pretty, but too salty for my taste._ Kuroo’s mind picked up on an ominous sense of oil and water meeting, of gunpowder and flame igniting, an unsettling feeling of premonition. Ushijima was dead serious and never lied.

 

_This might be fun to watch. From a distance, preferably._

 

"Either way, we have a practice match soon, ace-kun. I’ll go find Oikawa, you stay here and cool your head." Kuroo turned, leaving Ushijima and his poor half squashed ball.

 

Squawking birds flew over the large training facilities, the sun high in the sky, a warm temperature giving the air a balmy humidity. Shadows fell between the different gyms and buildings and scattered between them were athletes and trainers running and having meetings, the sound of their footsteps in the background. Behind the main gym, Oikawa stood leaning against the wall in the shade as he reached inside his bag and pulled out his phone. Excited fingers hurriedly pulled up Iwaizumi’s number when he was sure no one was watching. The alpha was supposed to have a break from studying around this time of day, and with the shitty time he’s been having, Oikawa needed to hear the familiar sound of Iwaizumi’s barrage of insults.

 

“Oi, what’s up?” Iwaizumi’s gruff voice replied from inside of Oikawa’s phone. The omega could hear the smile in his voice.

 

“I had a break so I decided to call and see how much your brain is hurting from having to use it constantly,” quipped Oikawa in fake concern, the hand not holding the phone resting in his pocket.

 

“You better shut up before I use my brain to invent a way to punch someone through the phone, jackass,” Iwaizumi bantered back. Oikawa laughed, a cheeky grin on his face. Iwaizumi always knew how to make him smile. The alpha continued, “How’s the camp so far? Still enjoying volleyball now that I’m not around?”

 

“It’s not fun without you.”

 

They both know it's a lie.

 

“Good to know,” a softness edged into Iwaizumi’s voice. “You gotta keep it up, though. I know there are Olympic scouts there. You’re good enough.”

 

“Do you miss it?” Oikawa asked, twirling his hand in his pocket. “...Volleyball, that is.”

 

“No.” Iwaizumi’s reply was direct, no hesitation in his words. Oikawa’s eyebrows formed a confused line on his forehead, hurt leaking into his voice despite his best efforts.

 

“So you never enjoyed playing?” a sharp pitch of accusation drips into the setter’s question, his gut sinking.

 

“I don’t miss volleyball. I miss you.” The sentence left Iwaizumi’s mouth before he could even think and left no room to argue, the words hanging between them like a weight. Oikawa’s face softened, his heart swelling with emotion. He really didn’t deserve Iwaizumi Hajime as his future Bond Mate.

 

“...You know I can’t wait to see you again, right?” asked the omega with a sigh, the smile returning to his face. Somehow Iwaizumi was able to dissolve all of his worries with just a few words of uncharacteristically sweet talk. He sometimes wondered if the only reason he presented as an omega was because of his feelings for his childhood friend. Though he knew that wasn’t how biology worked, it was a fun fantasy.

 

“I should hope so, dumbass,” Iwaizumi’s words didn’t match the soft, affectionate tone they were bathed in. “After all your heat should be coming up soon.” The implication wasn’t missed by Oikawa. A small pulse of arousal fluttered in the omega’s lower body.

 

“I can’t wait to spend it with you, Iwa-chan,” answered Oikawa genuinely, his eyes cast down towards the ground, his foot kicking a rock into the dirt. He couldn’t tell his former ace about how it almost started earlier than normal, especially since it was their former enemy that may have caused it. He would make the setter quit the team, no doubt about it. He wouldn’t blame him, either.

 

“Found you!” A deep voice called out, reaching the omega’s ears, making him cringe.

 

“Sorry, Iwa-chan, gotta go!” Oikawa hung up his phone quickly, putting it back in his bag, struggling to zip up the zipper in his flustered state.

 

“Relax, Oikawa-kun, it’s me,” Kuroo’s sly face stared back into Oikawa’s grimace through the shadows cast by the gym walls. “Let’s go back to the court.”

 

Oikawa’s shoulders shrugged in relief, hand running through his fluffy brown hair. “You scared me with that face of yours, Kuroo.”

 

“Don’t be a jerk.” Kuroo ordered, yanking on Oikawa’s warm-up jacket. “Come with me. We’re taking the long way.”

 

A perplexed noise left Oikawa’s mouth as he was dragged back around the other side of the gym. This way was through the fencing that separated the gym from the dorms on the other side, giving the two a better sense of privacy. Oikawa kept up with Kuroo’s long strides, staring at broad shoulders covered by a red windbreaker and messy black hair. He stumbled a few times, letting out indignant protests.

 

“Oi, what the hell are you-?”

 

Suddenly, Oikawa felt his nose shoved against Kuroo’s back. The alpha had stopped in his tracks, Oikawa having run into him by accident. Kuroo shoved him off, turning around to face him. A grim look on his handsomely sly features confused Oikawa.

 

“I picked up on a certain scent yesterday after the practice game.”

 

Oikawa almost choked on his own saliva. _Fuck_. So Ushijima wasn’t the only one that noticed it. His mind raced into a panic as he felt the blood rush out of his face. He remembered what Ushijima’s reaction was; did Kuroo bring him here to do the same? Oikawa inwardly cursed himself for forgetting that Kuroo was indeed an alpha, despite his friendliness. He backed up, silently noting any possible escape route. Kuroo’s hard gaze bore into him before opening his lips again.

 

“I brought you here to tell you to watch out,” Kuroo warned, folding his arms over his chest. “If I picked it up, who knows what an alpha that’s interested in you would do if he picked it up? Someone has been scent marking you, I can smell it. Most others probably can’t because they haven’t been practicing with you, thankfully.”

 

With that, Oikawa’s chest exhaled, anxiety leaving with his breath. A sigh left his throat as he put both hands on his hips. “So...what do you want me to do? I can’t control alphas.”

 

“I’m just saying be careful, idiot,” responded the black-haired alpha. “I don’t want you getting carted away by some other team.”

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed as an idea clicked in his head, “Aw, are you jealous, Kuroo-chan? Do you have the hots for me?”

 

“What? Oh god no,” Kuroo let out a hearty laugh, almost bending over onto the wall next to them.

 

The omega let out a pissed off growl, eyebrow twitching. “Don’t laugh so much, you’ll hurt my delicate feelings.”

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Kuroo tried to catch his breath, hands now resting on his knees. “I’m just saying, you’d need a couple more centimeters, blond hair, and glasses for me to even look your way. I like my omegas even taller than you, Oikawa-kun.”

 

“Aw, I can wear glasses, Kuroo-chan,” Oikawa grinned, teasing the alpha. A grimace appeared on Kuroo’s face in response.

 

"Don't even _joke_ like that. I'd rather not have another alpha try and rip me apart. Especially with those arms he has," Kuroo straightened up. Oikawa could see that his face had softened at the mere thought of that blond from Karasuno.

 

"Iwa-chan isn't that protective! He only beats _me_ up, I promise,” assured Oikawa as he rolled his eyes.

 

“Who said it’s him that I’m worried about?”

 

“Wait, wh-”

 

“KUROO! OIKAWA! We’ve been looking all over for you!” The coach’s booming voice echoed down the alley from the end where the gym doors resided, startling both players into a yelp, Kuroo’s alpha nature be damned. “Get your asses over here, time to line up for the next game!”

 

Oikawa didn’t even have time to process what Kuroo had meant before their game with the Hokkaido team began. He honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the sly alpha wasn’t just messing with him, since it definitely seemed to be in his nature. As Oikawa, Ushijima, Kuroo, and three of their upperclassmen lined up on the court in their proper rotations, the setter noticed the other team’s make up as he took his place in the serving position. All alphas, with tall, intimidating figures. Broad shoulders on every player, even the libero. This was clearly a team specializing in attacks. Their captain was an imposing figure, with messy bleached hair and feral eyes that made Oikawa reminiscent of his old teammate Kyoutani. _So they even have delinquents that far north_ , the omega thought to himself.

 

Ushijima gave him a quiet nod as he took his place in front of Oikawa, hiding any excitement he may or may not have had. Remembering what happened last time, Oikawa made a mental note to avoid tossing to Ushijima, or even speaking to him. He couldn’t risk his hormones acting up again, especially since he was about 65% sure the heat suppressants he was relying on were expired.

 

And then, with a whistle, the game begins.

 

Starting out, Oikawa tosses to other sempai spikers on the team, giving calculated tosses pinpointed to their exact needs. One tends to jump higher, one tends to hit better from away from the net, and even another left handed spiker besides Ushijima. He can see Ushijima getting testy, his broad shoulders tense and eyes giving occasional glimpses at the setter at the end of each volley. Oikawa would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy watching Ushijima suffer, since in his mind, Ushijima needed to experience the harsh reality of not playing because someone has blocked him out. Just like he’d done to Oikawa.

 

The first set goes to them easily, with Hokkaido’s players clearly feeling the frustration.The other team’s spikers were powerful, but their defense was weak in comparison. Most of the alphas on Oikawa’s team were unaffected, with their own hormones higher than normal with physical exertion and competition, but his omega senses in the back of his mind were telling him to back down due to the hostile gazes pinpointed his way. Thankfully, he’d shut down that side of himself long ago when he’d decided to play volleyball, instead using the desperation inspired in him to hit harder and faster, to use it as fuel to prove to others that his nature didn’t have any matter in how well he played.  

 

Meanwhile, a turbulent storm inside of Ushijima was brewing even stronger. He’d wanted to give Oikawa space after his talk with that bedhead teammate of his, but he could see that the omega was deliberately testing him. He was rotated to the front again, and yet again Oikawa was giving every toss to other teammates, even tossing to Kuroo. It took just about everything Ushijima had to control his emotions, and subsequently, his hormones. He didn’t want to do anything, consciously or subconsciously, that would cause Oikawa to not be able to play at his best.

 

After all, that was when he thought Oikawa was most beautiful.

 

The second set was more intense, with the Hokkaido team bringing out their best service aces and being able to pinpoint their team’s defensive weak spots. The captain of the Hokkaido team serves directly at Oikawa, his serve a vicious trajectory aimed at the team’s setter and only omega. Rage boiled up inside of the omega as he realized he was being underestimated, either because of his omega status, or them assuming that he was stupid enough to not be able to guide his team without setting the toss.

 

The ball hits Oikawa’s outstretched forearms with a dry, painful crack, launching the ball towards the net with a slight wince erupting from the omega. Without even thinking, he shouted out, “USHIJIMA-”

 

“ _Got it._ ”   

 

Before anyone had time to react, Ushijima’s left hand was already making contact with the ball, his upper body soaring up past the top of the net. Three blockers were ready to meet him, but he paid no mind; his spike brutally shoved the ball past their huge hands as if they were mere sunflowers blocking his way, the ball soaring past them and making loud contact with the court before the opposing players had even fallen back to the ground. A wild grin appeared on Ushijima’s triumphant face.

 

“Fuck,” Hokkaido’s team captain cursed as the ball was tossed to the other team for their serve. “Looks like the little omega still has wolves looking after him.”

 

Kuroo’s sharp ears picked up on the insult while Ushijima’s attention had already focused back on Oikawa. “Oi, shut it.” _Before we make you,_ the heavy threat implied. He just rolled his eyes at Kuroo, getting into position. Kuroo narrowed his eyes, protective instincts rising, noting that it was fortunate for that captain that he was the one that picked up on the insult, not Ushijima.

 

Oikawa was nursing the red welt on his forearm, apparently oblivious to the drama of the posturing alphas on the court. Ushijima trotted over, reaching out his hand, his mood immediately dissolving his previous feeling of accomplishment when he saw Oikawa’s arms.

 

“Are you okay?” Ushijima tilted his head in concern, large fingers brushing against Oikawa’s arm gently. “Do you need to sit out?”

 

Oikawa’s brow furrowed in indignation, offended that Ushijima would even ask such a thing from him, “What the hell are you talking about? This is just a bruise. I’m not that weak, asshole.”

 

When the whistle sounded again, forcing everyone to return to their rotation, the ace couldn’t help but have his chest swell with pride. Oikawa was no simpering omega; he was a hard trained former team captain who used leadership and skill to claw his way to the top. Sacrifice was nothing new to him.  

 

With their morale having taken a huge hit, the Hokkaido team’s defenses faltered one after another. The rest of the second set was taken by Oikawa’s team, sealing their victory and saving them from the clutches of punishment drills. Resounding sound of relief echoed through the gym, along with a sour grumble of discontent from the Hokkaido team. Once the coaches, the rest of their team, and other teams had started to make their way towards the dining hall for lunch, Ushijima, Kuroo, and Oikawa began packing up their bags and water bottles to join them. The Hokkaido team’s captain wasn’t partaking in the punishment like his teammates who were running laps around the gym outside. Ushijima noted and disapproved of the alpha captain’s slacking off, but ultimately decided to stay out of it. He didn’t need to start any conflict in front of Oikawa. The ace did notice him getting closer to him and kept a wary eye on the blond.

 

The captain passed by Ushijima and Kuroo on his way out, a scheming grin slicing through his face, giving Ushijima a prickling, unsettling feeling. The ace bristled at the contact, lifting his chin at the other alpha, body language defensive. Kuroo observed quietly, his own menacing glare stabbing needles into the captain’s back. Ushijima’s teeth grit tight in his jaw, his eyes narrowed into dark slits. Before he could pull away, the other team’s captain leaned in to his ear, close enough to where Ushijima could feel warm breath and smell his repulsive scent.

 

A devious whisper slithered out of the captain, "Do you guys take turns? He smells pretty good, I wouldn't mind spending my rut with that tight little thing...What dorm is he in again? Maybe I should pay him a v-"

 

He didn’t finish his sentence. Or rather, wasn’t allowed to. A predatory growl escaped from Ushijima’s throat, all promises to not cause a scene flying out the window. As if on instinct, the muscles in his left arm grabbed the back of the other alpha’s neck forcibly, and a powerful leg shot up as he slammed the captain’s torso down onto his knee, knocking the wind out of him and crushing the tip of his tongue between his own teeth. Before the blond alpha could even land or brace himself, Ushijima grabbed his shaggy hair and slammed him onto the solid court below him, the blood leaking from his mouth only incensing him further. A hard knee shoved down onto the other alpha’s chest and his hand braced down on a vulnerable neck, relishing in the bloody cough elicited. The wing spiker’s face was expressionless save for his eyes, which couldn’t hide the murderous intent even if he’d cared to try.  

 

By this point, his other teammates and a few of the Hokkaido players had noticed the commotion and began to crowd around the pair on the floor. Before any of the Hokkaido team could react, a deep, guttural growl from above shook Ushijima’s sensibilities back to reality, a rough grip yanking him up by the scruff of his neck violently. He was pulled back and up on his feet away from the bloodied alpha.

 

“Are you a fucking _idiot_ , Ushijima?!” a furious Kuroo spat at him from above. His eyes were blown out, alpha senses roaring their head, his body releasing a deadly scent to the onlookers. He then turned to some of the Hokkaido team’s players that had turned white in fear, a vicious tone in his voice. “And you guys. Get the _fuck_ out of here. Take this piece of shit with you. If you say anything we’ll get your team kicked out of the league for threatening our setter.”

 

The Hokkaido team apparently wasn’t a fan of being told anything twice, so two players picked up their injured captain and hurriedly left the gym for the dorms.

 

Oikawa, whose perception of the altercation was that Ushijima attacked him out of nowhere, stood stunned at the scene before him. His clutched at the water bottle in his hand impossibly tight, watching Kuroo start to purr to calm Ushijima down. Oikawa timidly walked up to the pair, Ushijima sitting down on a bench while Kuroo tried to soothe him. He had a touch of blood on his uniform, and hung his head down, taking deep breaths while Kuroo released a comforting scent. With the gym empty now save for the three of them, Oikawa silently thanked multiple deities that they were alone.

 

It was a shocking sight, watching an alpha like Kuroo purr to calm down Ushijima. It was a deep, almost engine like purr, coming almost from Kuroo’s chest himself. Both alphas and omegas could purr to soothe their mates, friends, family, and in emergency situations, apparently to calm down an outraged teammate. Kuroo remembered the times where he’d had to calm Bokuto before Akaashi joined his team, memories of the excitable owl coming back in a nostalgic wave.

 

“Kuroo-chan...” began Oikawa, “What the hell was that? I mean, it was over in like five seconds? What did you mean by threatening me?”

 

Kuroo sighed, halting his purring. He looked up at Oikawa from the bench. “Look, all I’ll say is that he was a sore loser and deliberately riled up Ushijima-kun. It’ll be fine now. I picked up on genuine fear from his scummy teammates. We’re just really fucking lucky this happened out of sight of most everyone else, especially the coaches.”

 

Ushijima murmured next to him, not lifting his head, “Oikawa. If he goes anywhere near you, tell me.”

 

“Yeah. Got it,” Oikawa begrudgingly acquiesced. “He looked like he was pretty injured though. There was a lot of blood.”

 

“Don’t worry, he was only bleeding in his mouth. The saliva made it look much worse,” Kuroo explained with a shrug, placing a towel on Ushijima’s neck. “Ushijima-kun didn’t hit his head, so at worst he’s probably looking at some bruised ribs and a split tongue.”

 

“I can change that still.” Ushijima’s voice muttered from under the towel, earning a light smack on the back of the head from Kuroo.

 

“Man, alphas sure are scary,” mused Oikawa, the light joking tone returning to his voice.

  
Kuroo gave him a bright smile, “Only if we want to be, Oikawa-kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR SPLITTING THIS IN HALF ok now smut next chapter, I can't wait~
> 
> Also thanks for the comments/kudos! This is my first ever fanfic so be gentle to my virgin sensibilities


	3. Emergency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how I said I broke up this chapter because it was too long? WELL HAHA JOKES ON ME, this chapter ended up being twice as long anyway oops
> 
> Again, please excuse typos, small hands, no friends to beta, etc
> 
> Enjoy~

Once Kuroo was satisfied that Ushijima’s temper had been calmed down, he let Oikawa leave. Despite being at the source of Ushijima’s hormone changes, Oikawa's simple presence seemed to calm the ace, a fact that Kuroo didn’t pass up. The gym became eerily quiet, heated rays from the sun shining in through the windows, and faint sound of birds outside the open doors. It was another minute or so before Ushijima removed the cold towel on the back of his neck and looked up at the now standing Kuroo Tetsurou, his eyes overcast.

 

“Thank you,” admitted Ushijima, hands on his knees. “I just...I can barely even remember anything from when he started talking to when you pulled me off.”

 

The black-haired alpha shrugged, arms folded across his chest. “Yeah, you’re a fucking dumbass. You could have ruined everything for all of us, Oikawa included. And if you’re not careful, you’ll go into an early rut, you know. Nothing I can do to stop that.”

 

Ushijima let out a strained breath, his eyes full of uncharacteristic frustration, “I know, you don’t have to rub it in. Are you trying to-”

 

“I would have done the same thing,” Kuroo interrupted him, his reassuring smile lightening up the mood. “If anyone threatened Tsukki, I don’t know if I’d even be able to stop myself.”

 

Ushijima nodded, putting a face to the name Kuroo mentioned. He remembered Karasuno’s Tsukishima Kei, and his superb blocking skills from last year, even if the memory of the game itself was unpleasant. He couldn’t help but respect Kuroo’s choice in partner; he clearly wasn’t a fan of delicate, weak mates either. Kuroo must also be able to see the value in such an omega. Perhaps he and this finicky teammate of his weren’t as different as he’d previously thought.  

 

“You know, you should try and reach out to him, get to know him more,” Kuroo advised, breaking the silence. “It would do you some good if Oikawa could see that you’re not some kind of robot that broke and only knows how to play volleyball...and I guess also knows how to beat the shit out of someone.”

 

Ushijima looked down. Every time he’d tried to talk to the pretty omega, it had been about volleyball, mostly since his interactions before this training camp were limited due to the presence of Oikawa’s protective alpha childhood friend. He’d never courted any omega before, since his thoughts only consisted of Aoba Johsai’s setter, therefore he wasn’t even sure where to begin. The thought was too aggravating to admit to Kuroo, who clearly was more experienced in interpersonal relations than he was.

 

“I didn’t recall seeing a Bond Mark on you, Kuroo,” noted Ushijima as he changed the subject, gold eyes traveling to the nape of Kuroo’s neck, where the scent glands of all alphas and omega resided.

 

“Oh ho, so flattering that you’re interested in my love life, Ushijima-kun,” Kuroo teased, rubbing a rough hand on his scent glands.  “Tsukki is a bit...difficult. But that’s fine. Wouldn’t be fun otherwise, right?”

 

Ushijima shot a knowing glance up at Kuroo. They both had their work cut out for them.

 

“If you say so.”

 

Ushijima noticed the wistful hint in Kuroo’s eyes and chose not to comment.

 

When Oikawa had left, he quickly ran up to his dorm. It hadn’t started immediately, but Oikawa felt the familiar heat pooling in his loins once he’d left the gym, spreading through to his head. He felt a slight feverish warmth in his forehead as he ruffled around in his bag for his suppressants, his breath starting to catch in his throat. At the same time, the sensation of butterflies in his insides clouded his mind as he recalled the aggressive look on Ushijima’s face.  The wild pheromones radiating from the alpha’s scent glands had reached Oikawa, and he assumed he’d be fine, otherwise he would have left at the first sign of trouble. He was slowly realizing that his body and his mind may not quite be in sync, that his body was drawn to the magnetizing command of Ushijima’s demeanor, causing havoc with his hormones.

 

 _Fuck_ , the omega thought to himself as he took the pill, his hands starting to shake. _I can’t wait for this stupid camp to be over. Alphas are such drama queens._

It was only until tomorrow night, when the train left back to their campus, he told himself. He had to hold out until then. Then this hell would be over and he could curl up beside Iwaizumi, whose voice he was already missing. What disturbed him the most was the fact that Iwaizumi had never once caused his heat to come early, even with their years of playing together.

 

After the suppressant kicked in, Oikawa pushed back those negative, disturbing thoughts, changing his heat-scented clothes to prepare for afternoon training.

 

That afternoon, another powerhouse school from Tokyo had just finished up their practice game in another gym. The university that had just so happened to scout Fukurodani’s Bokuto Koutarou and Karasuno’s Azumane Asahi also happened to sweep the game, winning after two sets against a team from Nagasaki. A loud roar of victory came from not the entire team, but a single wing spiker, startling even spectators Oikawa, Kuroo, and Ushijima. Oikawa decided to stay at least three meters away from Ushijima at all times except during plays. He couldn’t risk anything happening again, so the auburn-haired omega sat on a bench within safe distance of his two alpha first year teammates. Though he didn’t have much time to focus on his biological issues with the show in front of him.

 

“ _HEY HEY HEY_ ,” the explosion of a white and black haired alpha accompanied an energetic leap into the air on the court. Bokuto Koutarou’s wild yellow eyes scanned the small crowd surrounding the court as their opponents begrudgingly started their dive drills. “Did you see that!? I bet you couldn’t block that even if your life depended on it, Kuroo!”

 

“Oh yeah? Talking mad shit over there for a first year who only scored three points that whole set,” Kuroo called out to Bokuto with a mischievous smirk, arms folded across his chest and jacket hanging loosely over broad shoulders. Oikawa couldn’t help a laugh at Ushijima’s brow furrowing in confusion at the exchange while he held onto a volleyball, clearly wondering if they were actually fighting or if it was Kuroo simply being the provoking asshole he was.

 

A fiery anger contorted the former Fukurodani captain’s strong features, his body taking on an offensive stance as he raised his shoulders and pointed at the former Nekoma captain, “Augh, Kuroo! Come here, I swear I’ll-”

 

“Bokuto-san!” a sheepish alpha who Ushijima recognized as Karasuno’s Azumane Asahi put an arm on Bokuto’s shoulder , his nervous smile contrasting to his alpha nature. “Let’s not argue with anyone else today, right?” Asahi’s soothing nature was uncharacteristic for an alpha, but one could argue it was an effective tool for having situations go his way and making people trust him.

 

“What, you’re on his side, Azumane?!” growled Bokuto,  temper now focusing on a new target. “I thought we were friends!”

 

“We are, we are,” Asahi anxiously reassured his teammate with a light laugh, “It’s just...if you’re busy arguing, we can’t play, and we can’t get by without our ace, right?”

 

Asahi had apparently said the magic words, stars filling Bokuto’s owl-like eyes and deep voice dripping with zeal, “Ah hah! You’re so right, Azumane!” He shot a look at a grinning Kuroo on the sidelines. “Stupid cat.”

 

Meanwhile, Oikawa and Ushijima were trying to process the intense dramatics in front of them, and from the look of Bokuto and Asahi’s teammates, they weren’t the only ones confused. If Oikawa hadn’t thought alphas were dramatic before, he surely did now. Ushijima seemed to calm down at that point, his shoulders relaxing. He’d played against Bokuto plenty of times before, but had never seen Kuroo and Bokuto in the same vicinity, especially not in such a charged atmosphere that the training camp offered.

 

“Nice, Asahi-kun,” Kuroo noted, walking up to Karasuno’s former ace on the court. “Akaashi’s still in high school so looks like you’re stuck dealing with that?”

 

“That” spoke up next to Asahi, perking up at the mention of his former setter, “Akaashi wants to come to our school though! He even might get in early! I’m such a good alpha, he just can’t stand to be without me, I bet.” It was only then that Oikawa noticed the faded red mark on the side of Bokuto’s neck, the edge peeking out from underneath his t-shirt. The mark looked to be formed in the shape of a bite, with puncture indentations indicating canine teeth marks. The Bond Mark, the insignia of an unbreakable bond between alpha and omega. From the look of it, Akaashi and Bokuto had clearly been bonded for at least a couple months.

 

When laying a claim, an alpha had to lay his Bond Mark on the omega, making sure to puncture the sensitive scent gland, which tied the omega to them forever. After claiming an omega, in order to complete the bonding and bind the alpha to the omega, the omega had to give his or her alpha their own Bond Mark on the alpha’s scent gland in return. Usually done during a heat or a rut, it was mostly unheard of for only one party to leave the mating session marked, unless in cases of prostitution or other extenuating circumstances. Prostitutes and omegas that enjoyed casual sex usually wore a thick, specially made patch to wear over their scent gland just to stop any overstepping alphas who would claim an omega they had no intention of letting claim them back. Due to this, the patches were extremely rare, since it was a signal to  unruly alphas that the omega was up for grabs. The mark itself, on both alphas and omegas, signaled to other prospective suitors to stay away, and even changed the scent of both parties to more closely match the other’s.

 

“Azumane, your omega is coming to visit soon, isn’t he?” Bokuto turned his attention back to Asahi, who now sported a blush on his gentle face. “That cute libero of yours back at Karasuno?”

 

“Oh!” he held large hands up dismissively, “We aren’t Bonded yet...or anything, haha.”

 

“Well hurry up!” Bokuto gave this teammate a shove on the shoulder.

 

“Now now, Bokuto,” Kuroo jumped in as he picked up a volleyball off the ground, trying to give poor Asahi a break from Bokuto, “Not everyone pounces an omega at the first chance they get. Remember how pissed Akaashi’s mom was?”

 

“Ah yeah,” the owl-like ace cringed. “She’s the most terrifying alpha I’d ever encountered, I’ll tell you that, sheesh.”

 

Asahi had decided to slip away to the bench Oikawa still sat on, thankful for another familiar face. He grabbed a towel to wipe his face. “Oikawa, it’s been a while.”

 

For a split second, their last game flashed through the omega’s memories, leaving a sour taste on his tongue. He cursed his pride, shoving it back down, choosing instead to clutch at a water bottle to divert his frustrations. They were now at university, and from schools that would inevitably play against each other frequently, and with teammates like Ushijima, he could use more allies. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

 

“I didn’t know you got scouted until Bokuto-san told me who all was on Kuroo-san’s team,” said Asahi with a cheerful voice, if not a bit exhausted. “Tokyo sure is crazy, isn’t it?”

 

Oikawa glanced over at Ushijima, who was apparently catching up with Bokuto and Kuroo. He rolled his eyes.

 

“You have no idea.”

 

Ushijima respected Bokuto’s results, even if he thought his methods were gaudy. He heard Kuroo and Bokuto bantering and occasionally expecting a response from him, but his attention was focused on Oikawa yet again, if not for the simple fact that another alpha was speaking to him alone. He hated the constant uneasy needles he felt in his core whenever Oikawa paid attention to another alpha, made even worse when he’d already gone above and beyond to prove he was worthy of the setter’s attention, yet Oikawa seemed to be avoiding him more and more with every passing hour. He couldn’t help but glance at the omega on the bench from the side of his eyes, moments that made him feel like was stealing something precious every time his gaze ended up on Oikawa’s pale skin. He slowly watched as Asahi went back to his upperclassmen teammates on the other side of the gym.

 

Leaving Bokuto and Kuroo to their own devices, the ace clenched the ball he was holding, and walked over to Oikawa. Immediately, he noticed the omega stand up hurriedly, eyes looking towards the door. Ushijima’s long stride caught up to the setter, who sheepishly looked up at him. He remembered what Kuroo said to him after he’d calmed down, about reaching out.

 

“Ushiwaka, isn’t it time for your daily run? Or whatever it is you do when you’re not following me around?” Oikawa’s sharp tongue quickly pulled up his defenses, body facing away. Ushijima responded by grabbing at Oikawa’s white wrist, afraid to grab too tight. Almost as if he was concerned that Oikawa would turn into a liquid and seep through his fingers.

 

“I want you to toss to me.” Ushijima requested simply, looking straight into Oikawa’s skeptical face.

 

“Brute force doesn’t need a special toss or anything. Just get someone else to do it,” Oikawa’s answer stung him, both rejecting him and insulting him. “Besides, I don’t feel well. I’m going to my dorm.”

 

Ushijima studied the omega’s face, looking for the sign of a fever or dehydration, listening for any hint of irregular breathing in case of respiratory problems, but Oikawa caught onto him easily, yanking his wrist away. “Stop doing that thing! Using your senses like that is creepy, Ushiwaka.”

 

“I just want to practice with you.” Ushijima stated, repeating his request. “We haven’t practiced one on one yet, and the camp’s over tomorrow.”

 

Oikawa’s red-brown eyes studied Ushijima right back, his brows furrowed,  trying to detect any sign of a lie in the alpha’s usually stoic expression. The wet heat in his abdomen had been put temporarily at bay with the heat suppressant, but there was no guarantee how long the strength of the pill would last. The warmth at his wrist where Ushijima gripped him was a dull pulse, but a pulse nonetheless. He simply couldn’t afford to have any more accidents, particularly with his close call less than three hours ago. At that moment, he realized that perhaps Ushijima was struggling as well; biology often made victims of alphas as well as omegas.

 

“I don’t feel well,” the setter repeated sternly, pulling on the hand around his wrist, trying to make his way to the door.

 

But the ace’s resolve was unyielding as he opened his mouth to protest, “Oikawa, I-”

 

“Are you going to beat the shit out of me too if I don’t go with you?”

 

Ushijima let go of his wrist, experiencing an unfamiliar pain he didn’t know how to identify as he watched the omega dart out of the gym.

 

Dinner time at the training camp was absolute chaos in the dining hall, with starving alphas, betas, and omegas all fighting over plates and tables. At a table of his teammates, Kuroo included, he noted Oikawa’s absence. He wondered if their setter was actually sick, or perhaps even injured himself while training today. From what he’d heard in high school, Oikawa was bloodthirsty enough to keep practicing well beyond the point of no return, having injured his knee, and with no regard to his well being. He also heard stories of Oikawa showing up to other teams’ matches having gotten no sleep the night before after studying their moves until the AM hours. At the same time, he hadn’t been able to detect much of a heat scent from the omega all day, so he could only assume it was merely Oikawa’s hormones acting up after the Osaka match.

 

He truly couldn’t understand what he was doing wrong. He noticed Kuroo’s sympathetic looks sent his way every so often, meaning he’d heard his exchange with Oikawa earlier.

 

At that moment, Ushijima realized that if Oikawa wasn’t here at the dining hall, he most likely wasn’t eating.

 

“What dorm is Oikawa in?” Ushijima interrupted Kuroo’s conversation with a teammate, catching them both off guard.

 

“He’s in room 203 in B Block! We don’t have any other omega players so he’s the only one we have in B Block.” Their beta manager piped up from the end of the table as he checked on his notepad in front of him. Startling his teammates, the brown-haired alpha abruptly left their table, slinging on his jacket and heading back to the serving area.

 

Kuroo followed him with his eyes, debating whether or not to follow him.

 

Ushijima wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up on his way to Oikawa’s temporary dorm, a wrapped up plate of food and a package of milk bread in his large hands. He paused in the moonlight outside the B Block building. The thought of Oikawa shivering, not feeling well and huddled in his bed while suffering alone, possibly even injured, bothered Ushijima more than he’d like to admit, tugging raw at his instincts to provide. He could hear the chattering noise coming from the dining hall fading away as he walked further into the dorm complex, searching for room 203 among the plates lined up down the long passageway illuminated by fluorescent lights. Finally he found himself at room 203’s door.

 

“Oikawa.” His deep voice called out in the emptiness of the hallway. “Are you sick?”

 

No answer.

 

Since the omega dorms were scent proof for their safety, Ushijima couldn’t even use his senses to check on Oikawa’s state on the other side of the door. With a quiet breath, he realized that Oikawa could be sleeping already, and cursed himself for possibly waking the setter in a time of duress. Why were all of his efforts so useless? Gingerly crouching down and setting down the plate of food and the milk bread on the floor in front of the door, Ushijima shrugged. He could only sit and hope that Oikawa would eventually open up.

 

Zipping up his jacket across a broad chest, Ushijima left the building to return to the gym. If he had time, he preferred to run at night, since the pathways were usually less crowded, and this was no exception. The night air only had a fraction of the humidity that the daytime did, giving a crisp breath inside of the ace’s lungs as he ran around the multiple gyms in the training facility. Running improved his senses, ever since he took it up shortly after he’d presented back in junior high. It certainly helped him now, with his senses driving him up the wall. Or rather, it was a certain setter that managed to drive him up the wall. He knew in his deepest core that he could make Oikawa happier than he’s ever been. Iwaizumi Hajime had his chance in high school; his failure was surely a testament to Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s incompatibility, there was no doubt about it in Ushijima’s mind. Ushijima could see it in every movement Oikawa performed on the court; he’d clearly worked harder than many players Ushijima had encountered in the Olympic trials, but had lost his chances due to inferior weights holding him back. Even if he couldn’t take Oikawa as his mate, he at least had to take him as his setter. He wasn’t quite sure why Oikawa was even pushing him away. He knew they’d both felt _that_ after the Osaka game.

 

After he’d run laps around the dorm facilities, he prepared to run around a third, when he saw a light on at the fourth gym, cracked through the gym doors and casting a sliver of light onto the pathway. He could hear a few voices, at least one of them an alpha, and the smack of volleyballs against the court and the wall. If someone was practicing at this hour, he’d like to join them, especially since he wasn’t able to practice his spikes earlier. Jogging over to the source of the light, calloused fingers pried open the door.

 

What he saw almost angered him as much as the Hokkaido captain earlier that day.

 

Bokuto Koutarou was midair, recent spike shoving down towards a defending Azumane Asahi on the other side of the net, and worst of all, Oikawa Tooru at Bokuto’s side, his fingers retracting from their prime setting position. The ball bounced off Asahi’s outstretched arms and flew towards the door Ushijima stood at. Fury welled up, boiling up like hot oil scorching his insides. It was an anger that came with a sinking feeling of nausea and fear somehow rolled into one revolting package.

 

Jealousy.

 

“Oi! Ushijima! Wanna join?” A cheerful Bokuto landed on the ground and waved. “Azumane needs one more person to make this fun, so-”

 

“Oikawa.” Ushijima paid no mind to the other wing spiker, his gaze fixated on the omega now holding onto a ball. His voice was deadly, a deep murmur that was somehow heard throughout the gym. Asahi looked back at Ushijima with anxious wide eyes, as if trying to wonder what happened to make the other alpha so upset.

 

Oikawa lifted his chin, clenching the ball with both hands to his chest, his face dismissive. “Can I help you, Ushiwaka-chan?”

 

“Come here.” It was an order. A rare, dominance-infused order using all of Ushijima’s alpha senses.

 

A thick pulse shuddered through Oikawa’s body, the scent reaching him in a wave of aggression. His knees almost faltered in his pad and bracer as he swallowed. Low blow, Ushiwaka, he thought to himself bitterly. It had been a while since anyone had truly attempted to assert dominance on him. Not wanting to let the other two alphas present see him fall to his knees with submission, he flashed Bokuto and Asahi a wide smile. “Sorry guys! Looks like I missed a team meeting I forgot about!”

With that, he waved a shaky palm at the two alphas he’d been playing with, and made his way towards the calling of a very pissed off alpha. Asahi, not convinced, ran up to Oikawa as he was only a few meters from Ushijima and laid a worried hand on Oikawa’s shoulder.

 

“You...you can stay here if you want.” Asahi’s resolved words tried to assure the omega.

 

Before Oikawa could even reply, Ushijima answered for him. “If you don’t get that hand off of him, I will crush you.”

 

With that, Asahi recoiled, the nervous alpha backing away instinctively from Ushijima’s open hostility. Oikawa cringed, pitying the poor former ace of Karasuno.

 

“Sorry guys! I’ll be fine,” Oikawa gave a laugh. He wasn’t sure if he was lying to them or not.

 

“Come here.” repeated Ushijima, allowing Oikawa to follow him out of the door and into the night sky.

 

Oikawa followed the alpha, nerves finally setting in. He’d done it this time; not only did he practice with another team behind his own team’s back, but he lied to Ushijima about it. In truth, he desperately wanted to practice his tosses, but was deathly afraid that practicing alone with the alpha would trigger his heat prematurely, ruining his chances at ever being taken seriously again. As well as his chances with Iwaizumi. Guilt wracked through him. Guilt for lying to his teammate, and guilt at his own body for admitting that it responded so shamelessly to another alpha besides Iwaizumi. Ushijima’s muscled shoulders were tense in the darkness, his scent having demoted from murderous to something a bit more...painful.

 

“Ushiwaka-chan, you know you’re not my captain, right?” Oikawa began to think of a strategy. “I never went to Shiratorizawa. You don’t have a hold on me.”

 

A quiet pause hovered in the air as Ushijima’s figure stopped the both of them in the middle of an alleyway behind the gym near the dorms--where Kuroo had dragged Oikawa earlier. He finally turned around, his face as hard to read as ever for Oikawa.

 

“Where are we g-”

 

Before Oikawa could finish, he felt a warm hand grab his soft hair, yanking his entire body back towards the metal wall of an empty gym as if he was weightless. Ushijima’s body was flush with his own, heat catching fire from the alpha’s body onto his as if it was contagious. Oikawa let out a breathy yelp as his head was pulled back by his hair, his face centimeters from Ushijima’s.  Oikawa’s expression turned into fury as he realized that he’d pretty much been scruffed, his head throbbing with the pain of his hair being pulled by a powerful left hand.

 

"Is this _fun_ for you, Oikawa?" Ushijima's rough hand held on tight to Oikawa's auburn locks, pushing a solid knee between long legs to pin him against the ice cold wall. Even in such a state, he couldn’t help but find the omega stunning, which only made this more painful.  "I don't know what more you _want_ from me."

 

"I never asked you for a _damn_ thing," the setter spat back in Ushijima’s face with contempt, panting  from the angle his throat was forced into. “ _You_ were the reason Iwa-chan and I never got to-”

 

"Why are you being so _foolish_ ?" asked Ushijima, cutting Oikawa off, his deep voice straining in his throat. "I'm giving you _every_ damn ounce of power I have to help you reach to the top, because there is no one I've _ever_ met that deserves it as much as you, and it's like you can't even see it. Are you willing to throw away everything you've worked for just because..." He looked away for a split second before returning to Oikawa's wide eyes, "...just because you hate me?"

 

"I..." Oikawa's auburn eyes were watering with anger, breath audibly being shoved between his grinding teeth. There was no fear at this point, only stubborn indignant fury as he clawed at the alpha, anger at his own body for beginning to leak more slick in his shorts. The harsh reflection of the moonlight on the wall lit the side of Ushijima's fearsome face. Oikawa’s senses picked up on something else besides anger in the ace’s eyes, something that pulled at the insides of his heart like an eagle’s sharp talons.

 

Pain.

 

The alpha leaned his head into the space next to Oikawa’s delicate ear, a growl escaping him. If he could smell the slick that had leaked from the setter, he didn’t mention it.

 

"Because you need to decide." Ushijima ordered, teeth bare, his pheromones soaking the air around the pair in a haze. " _You_. Not Kuroo Tetsurou. Not me. And definitely not Iwaizumi Hajime."

 

With that, he pulled away, letting Oikawa fall to the ground.

 

Oikawa sat on the grass, stunned, hands around his knees after Ushijima had left. After he was sure Ushijima had traveled far enough away, he stood steadily, shaking the dust from the wall off the back of his shirt. He cursed at the slick that had accumulated in his shorts, thanking the most deities he’s ever thanked that Ushijima seemed distracted enough to either not notice it...or not mention it. It seemed that everyone else was still in the dining hall, so it should have been safe to head back to his dorm. Entering through the side of the complex, he shakily made his way back to his room.

 

Then he saw it.

 

The now cold plate of food wrapped up neatly with a package of milk bread waiting in front of his door.

 

The cold air from the AC chilled Oikawa to the bone when his alarm went off to wake up for practice. Scratching his eyes, he realized he’d woken up late, the realization spiking a surge of wakefulness through his tired, stressed body. Rushing to put on his training clothes, scampered out the door in a hurry. He couldn’t help but notice that his heat symptoms had completely stopped! Hopefully this meant he no longer had to worry about any accidents on the court.

 

Unfortunately, when one problem disappears, another one is more than happy to replace it.

 

Having reached the final day of the training camp, Oikawa couldn’t help but look away any time Ushijima was assigned to his practice team. They had no more full games, but were scheduled to work on their independent skills with other players in their position thankfully, meaning he would spend most of his time among other setters. Kuroo came around to check on him after a long morning, taking a break from blocking practice. During the training, Oikawa had to focus on receives well, really scruffing up his knee brace.

 

“Shit, those kneepads are toast. Wanna come back with me to get some from my bag? I have an extra brace you can use.” Kuroo offered. He noticed Ushijima’s eyes following them but figured it’d be fine; after all, Ushijima knew he was no competition.

 

“Thanks,” Oikawa replied genuinely, thankful for at least one right thing happening. Yawning from lack of sleep and from the humid heat washing over him, he followed his teammate out of the gym and towards the dorms. His bag was slung across his back when they made it to the hallway of the alpha dorms, which were very much deserted due to the hours, with everyone either in practice or the dining hall for lunch.

 

“You know, you didn’t have to practice with those two last night,” Kuroo pointed out, grabbing two water bottles from his bag as they walked upstairs to the second floor. “Bokuto told me that Asahi asked you to practice with them yesterday. I mean, I don’t care, but it’d be nice if you try not to scare the shit out of my friends. At least wait till I’m there, too.”

 

“I didn’t do anything,” Oikawa replied, his usual sneer failing to make an appearance. He grabbed a bottle from the blocker’s outstretched hand. “I told you before, I can’t control alphas.”

 

“Yeah, you can.” Kuroo shot back, taking a sip from his bottle. “It’s kind of stupid you haven’t realized it yet.” _At least, that you can control at least one._

 

“If you’re here to insult me, I’ve reached my quota for this 24 hour block. Come back tomorrow.” Oikawa yawned and patted his face with a cold towel.

 

Kuroo gave him a chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind. Expect me tomorrow.”

 

“I sincerely don’t doubt you,” Oikawa returned the laugh. _Tsukishima Kei is a lucky omega._

 

“Aw, I finally have my teammate’s trust! What a wonderful moment,” teased Kuroo, “I’ll be sure to mark it down on my calendar.”

 

“You have a very liberal interpretation of ‘trust’, bedhead-kun,” Oikawa bantered back.

 

Kuroo nodded in agreement, sauntering in front of Oikawa down the quiet hallway, the only sounds being their own echoing steps and conversation. Oikawa noted the alpha dorms were very similar to the omega dorms, with the exception that the rooms weren’t scent proof. He knew because he could pick up on the scent of every alpha’s room they passed, for better or worse.

 

Then, a certain familiar scent hit his nose. Deep, earthy, with a hint of mint.

 

“K-Kuroo-chan,” Oikawa’s voiced edged out nervously. “How much farther?”

 

Kuroo raised an eyebrow, “Mine’s at the end of the hallway. Sorry to make your delicate legs walk so far, princess.”

 

Oikawa shifted his eyes and followed the alpha in front of him, picking up on the scent getting stronger with each door they passed. Each step became harder with each passing moment and each step closer to the scent, drawing him in like moth to a flame. Finally they reached the source, a room two doors from the end of the hallway. The door was open, with a view inside the room telling Oikawa that this was his room, with Ushijima’s jacket on the bed. Slick once again started to leak from his hole, dripping down his shorts with a familiar warmth spreading through his lower half and up to his head. His head felt feverish, beads of sweat dripping down his temples. Weakness started to spread from his abdomen, claiming his knees first as they buckled from under him. He landed on the cold floor with a thud, his clouded mind racing as fast as his heartbeat. At that moment, the omega suddenly remembered something that made his blood run cold with anxiety. He didn’t take any suppressants that morning, since he assumed he was in the clear.

 

_Fuck. FUCK._

 

“Hey, we aren’t there yet, you okay?” Kuroo crouched down with concern, grasping Oikawa’s shoulders. He noted the flush on Oikawa’s cheeks, the way his eyes were half lidded, the rapid rise and fall of the omega’s chest.

 

“Kuroo,” the omega began, “I...I can’t stand...”

 

Once he heard the desperate pitch in Oikawa’s voice, Kuroo’s own blood ran cold. He inhaled a sharp breath, eyes glued to Oikawa’s shorts. His eyes picked up on a wet spot growing larger with every passing second, and his nose told his alpha brain exactly what was causing that stain.

 

“Fuck, Oikawa,” Kuroo groaned through grit teeth, “You’re...you’re in heat?”

 

“Heat? I can’t...” suddenly it became so much harder to focus on his thoughts, slick now dripping freely from his hole, the touch of Kuroo’s warm alpha palms on his shoulders so much more desirable to focus on now.

 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Kuroo looked around the hallway, then looked at the room Oikawa had collapsed in front of. “God I’m so stupid, I shouldn’t have brought you here-”

 

“Tetsurou,” Oikawa’s breathy voice called out, somewhere between a moan and a whisper. “I need help. _Please_.”

 

Kuroo looked down at the omega in front of him. The setter was looking up at him through the prettiest eyelashes, the smallest hint of saliva making its way down his chin. His knees started to spread, a telltale bulge building in Oikawa’s shorts. The sweet scent Oikawa was emitting was suffocating, going straight to Kuroo’s stirring groin. Oikawa reached up a hand towards Kuroo’s heaving chest, stroking it with trembling fingers, his breath coming out in jagged gasps.  

 

“ _It hurts._ ”

 

“Fuck.” Kuroo repeated himself, grip tightening on Oikawa’s quivering shoulders. He could feel in his bones how aroused Oikawa was, and he couldn’t exactly blame him; even non scent marked omegas would go crazy over being in an alpha den on the verge of heat with no suppressants. The fact that Oikawa had been scent marked by Ushijima pretty much assured that, without suppressants, a Pavlovian response to such an environment would result in an instantaneous heat.

 

The black-haired alpha grit his teeth even harder, tearing his eyes away from the wet omega in front of him. His own breath was growing more shallow, his alpha hormones screaming at him to take the defenseless offering in front of him. With a pained groan, Kuroo ripped his hands away from Oikawa’s shoulders and stood back up on his feet, stumbling slightly. He covered his mouth and nose with a hand, leaning against the wall.

 

“Oikawa,” he uttered painfully, the omega noticing a bulge in the blocker’s warm up pants. “I-I have to leave. I can’t stay here. If I do, I...I just... I’m going to go get help, I promise. Just stay in Ushijima’s room, and _don’t come out_ . I...I’ll get you some full strength suppressants. Just _stay here._ ”

 

A whine trickled out of Oikawa’s chest, his feverish brain forsaking most logical thoughts as he weakly watched Kuroo’s running form exit the hallways and down the stairs. The setter _needed_ an alpha. His body was telling him he needed a knot more than his lungs needed air, his limbs full of a fire his instincts put inside him to ensure he was mounted.

 

Now that Kuroo was gone, Oikawa let his mind wander towards the scent in Ushijima’s room. He crawled, shaky and unstable, into Ushijima’s dorm. Upon breaching the threshold, he could feel his cock grow impossibly hard, straining inside of his shorts, which at this point were more wet than dry. The pain of not being filled was absolutely _unbearable,_ causing his body to writhe on the floor of the cold dorm room in vain. The scent enveloping his senses drove the omega wild, his mind foggy and desperate for contact. He reached down and hurriedly yanked off his sticky shorts and underwear, revealing quivering thighs, a red hard omega cock, and a well sculpted ass that was wet with slick, the moisture already leaking all over the floor under his body.

 

A series of needy, high pitched whines left Oikawa’s mouth involuntarily, as if his body was calling for help. Despite his heat, his mind wasn’t completely gone, and he pulled a hand up to try and smother the noises his throat was making, to hide his condition. He’d been in plenty of heats before, but always in the safety of his bedroom, usually fantasizing about Iwa-chan, one time even having stolen a jacket of his for that specific use. But this was different. This was a heat that gripped him in his bones and made the scent gland on his neck absolutely _throb_ with the ache to be claimed. Oikawa assumed it could only be because he was so entrenched in Ushijima’s thick alpha scent after taking in so much of the ace’s potent pheromones, but that didn’t help him now. For now, he needed to ease his suffering until Kuroo came back with high dosage suppressants.

 

The hand that wasn’t occupied at his mouth traveled down to his wet, clenching hole. Wasting no time, he slipped in two fingers inside of his wet passage, making even more of a mess on the floor under him as he writhed around on his side in his own juices. Mild relief flooded his system as he fucked himself on his long fingers, his vestigial member bobbing and leaking precum all over the hem his shirt.  His body pulsed with pleasure with every push of his fingers into the knuckle, pushing out even more urgent breaths from his throat. Saliva was now leaking over the hand at his mouth as he felt more and more pressure swelling inside of him. A frustrated groan vibrated against his hand as his body realized that his fingers didn’t reach that spot inside of him his toys could, the same spot Iwaizumi had once told him he could reach during a heated phone conversation late at night.

 

Desperate for more stimulation, Oikawa’s wide brown eyes searched the small room he was in, before settling on the jacket he’d spotted earlier. Grabbing it with the hand he’d been using to cover his mouth, his brain delighting in the fact that the jacket was absolutely _saturated_ with Ushijima’s heavy, enticing scent. Bringing the nape of the jacket up to his face, Oikawa inhaled a deep breath, taking in as much scent as he could as he pumped his finger inside of himself frantically, desperate for his peak. With the jacket aiding his ascent, the omega could feel his pleasure mounting, the mere scent of Ushijima being able to make up for the lack of prostate stimulation.

 

“Ahn...” Oikawa moaned into the jacket, “ _Ushijima, please_ -”

 

“Oikawa.”

 

Brown eyes darted back towards the doorway, where Ushijima’s tall figure stood, looking down onto Oikawa with wide eyes. His scent was absolutely feral, the line of his mouth showing exactly how hard he was gritting his teeth,his eyes glued to the spot where the setter’s fingers connected inside of him. Oikawa whimpered at the presence of a hungry alpha in his proximity, dropping the jacket and deciding to focus on the very source of the scent.

 

“So is this your answer to my question last night?”

 

“Alpha...” Oikawa’s eyes captured Ushijima’s, pleading for something, _anything_ to help with this unbearable pain. Wet pulses of slick were drenching the fingers inside of him just at the sight of Ushijima staring at him with intense gold eyes. He watched Ushijima close the door behind him ominously, noting how the alpha didn’t remove his eyes from the omega in front of him.

 

“ _Oikawa_.” Ushijima repeated, his deep voice devolving into a pained growl, the gears in his brain trying to impartially analyze all of his options. “You’re in heat.”

“Yeah,” Oikawa offered no explanation, no excuse. “I need help, alpha, _please_..”

 

Ushijima’s stern voice scolded him, “You’re not in your right mind, Oikawa. Stand down. Do you have any suppressants?”

 

Oikawa seemed to not even notice Ushijima had asked him in anything, instead choosing to crawl towards the ace on his knees, face red with want and thighs wet with desire. Hot pulses of painful arousal fluttered through his body.

 

“Help me, Ushijima,” pleaded the omega through ragged breaths as he brought up a shaky hand to Ushijima’s pant leg. “This is-this is...your fault...” Even in this state of horny delirium, he still found it in him to be furious with the alpha.

 

Ushijima’s alpha instincts were flaring up inside of him, since before he even found Oikawa. He’d followed Kuroo and Oikawa back to the alpha dorms out of a gut feeling, and now his brain was trying to convince him that this wasn’t a fantasy brought on by a rut, now that he’d had the object of his desire in front of him after all these years, weak and pleading for touch. His cock was painfully hard as he felt his dormant knot throbbing in his pants, his large palms itching with the need to feel Oikawa’s tight body that was currently writhing on his floor. His pupils dilated, scent gland pulsing, releasing thick pheromones into the little space left between them. The ace brought a hand to Oikawa’s reddened face, stroking it with unusual tenderness.

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima murmured deep, almost under his breath. “How do you want me to help you?”

 

Eyebrows upturned in desperation and indignation, Oikawa looked up into Ushijima’s beastly eyes, his breathing jagged between them and getting worse with each inhale of the alpha’s potent pheromones.

 

“ _Please._ ”

 

That was all the provocation the alpha could handle. He brought his hand from Oikawa’s face to his pale neck, hooking under his clothes and shoving the omega face up on his bed. Oikawa spread his legs on instinct, accepting Ushijima’s body between them. The alpha groaned at the contact, licking a wet stripe up Oikawa’s neck, passing the scent gland on his way up and making the omega shudder under him. Pulling away a few centimeters, Ushijima brought himself eye level with the beautiful omega he’d wanted for years. Hooking his right hand under Oikawa’s delicate chin, he pressed his lips onto the setter’s soft wet mouth, exploring Oikawa’s taste with genuine hunger. Teeth clashed from Ushijima’s urgency, as he kissed Oikawa as if someone could steal him away at any moment.

 

Ushijima’s left hand traveled down between Oikawa’s spread legs, stroking the omega’s hardness, swirling his index finger around the sensitive tip, gathering the moisture that had been accumulating and relishing in the wet moan Oikawa released into his lips. The alpha’s scalding hot hand traveled even further down, past Oikawa’s balls and to the wet heat Ushijima had been fantasizing about in his ruts. He finally pulled his lips away from Oikawa, but only to see the expression as he pushed in two thick, _very thick_ , fingers down to the knuckle in one fell swoop. He pumped his fingers deeper than Oikawa had ever gone inside himself before.

 

Oikawa cried out in pleasure and relief, his eyes growing wide with the sensation of finally being stretched, but no no _no, it wasn’t enough_. He let out a whine, clawing red marks up Ushijima’s broad back muscles. Ushijima responded by wiping Oikawa’s bangs out of his face, nuzzling the nape of his neck.

 

“Shh, it’s okay,” Ushijma let out a hot whisper of reassurance, his alpha instincts demanding that he calm his omega. “I’ve got you.”

 

“Alpha...alpha!” Oikawa panted, hips grinding down onto the fingers inside of him, jolting every time they grazed his prostate.

 

At this point, Ushijima’s thick member was obscenely swollen in his pants, pressing against Oikawa as an explicit promise of future relief. Impatience started to creep up on the alpha as well, but he couldn’t get enough of the scent Oikawa was releasing. Pulling out of the omega with an inappropriate noise, he used both hands to flip Oikawa on his stomach on this bed.

 

As if on cue, Oikawa’s primal instincts began to surface, his hips rising to meet his alpha with pressing need. He needed to be mounted, to be bred, to be _owned_. Ushijima hungrily stared at the moisture dripping down Oikawa’s pale thighs and brought his head down to meet the droplets, licking up to the source with no sense of embarrassment.

 

“ALPHA-!” cried Oikawa, throwing his head back when the alpha’s hot tongue reached his swollen hole, devouring all of the accumulated slick. Ushijima paid him no mind, using both hands to grip Oikawa’s toned asscheeks apart for better access to the source of his own arousal. A powerful tongue penetrated the inflamed ring of muscle guarding the omega’s delicious insides, pushing in as far as it could go. Oikawa wailed in pleasure and shame, his dick leaking onto the sheets below with every stroke of the tongue inside of him. He could feel every movement in his over sensitive entrance as Ushijima sucked around the rim ravenously.

 

“Please...” a wet whisper called out to Ushijima from Oikawa’s wet lips. “I need your knot, alpha...”

 

With that, Ushijima’s dick jumped painfully in his pants, eager to take very good care of Oikawa, Letting out a growl, Ushijima pushed his pants down past his cock, freeing it to fall on top of Oikawa’s spread ass.

 

Oikawa moaned at the contact of Ushijima’s erection pressing against his backside, and Ushijima delighted in seeing the red hole gush out more slick at the feeling. Using his palm, he slicked up his dick, bringing his hand all the way down until he felt the dormant knot at the base of his thick length, moaning at the sensation. He used his huge body to lean over Oikawa’s submissive presentation, prepared to mount his omega, to quench his thirst in the way only a rough alpha fucking can. Grasping Oikawa’s hip with one hand, he guided his cockhead to the twitching entrance, releasing a pleased sigh from the omega as he pushed in.

 

The pressure was nothing like Oikawa had imagined during previous heats; the huge, plum sized head breached his rim with a grunt from the alpha above him, and Oikawa could only just lay his head against the pillow and leak saliva from his swollen lips, his eyes rolling back in pleasure.

 

“I’m going to fuck you now, Oikawa,” Ushijima moaned, a guttural sound that Oikawa felt more than heard. “I can’t stop. I’m sorry.”

 

Ushijima began moving at a furious tempo, burying his cock balls deep in one thrust. The omega just _wailed_ , his entire body twitching at the fullness of his insides; Ushijima was clearly not a small guy. The feeling of the hard stretch subsided in his nerves, the setter’s endorphins dulling any pain and replacing every sensation the alpha gave him as pure pleasure flowing through his veins.

 

Oikawa felt every muscle in Ushijima’s well trained body with every beastly thrust inside of his hole, feeling the bruise on his hips from all ten of the ace’s gripping fingers. His eyes were clouded over, more saliva dripping down his chin and onto the bed as he was just completely and utterly dominated with each rough smack of Ushijima’s unforgiving thrusts.    

 

“Tell me how much you want my seed,” Ushima barked urgently, fucking into Oikawa’s pliant body with a brutal pace, relishing in the tight warmth massaging his cock. “ _Tell me, omega_.”

 

A whiny, high pitched wail came from Oikawa in a staccato, his breath interrupted by the tempo of the alpha’s thrusts behind him. “P-ppleeease, _alpha_! I need...I need it! I want your pups, I-”

 

Blood pumped through Ushijima’s head, his muscles clenching in effort as he fucked all of his raw emotion into the lithe body below him, the visceral feeling of conquer, of possession rushing through him. Ushijima’s rough left hand left its position on the omega’s bruised hips and traveled up to his drooling mouth. Thick fingers grasped the sides of Oikawa’s wet cheeks, pulling his head back and exposing his neck in a perfect picture of complete vulnerability and exposure, all for _him_.

 

“Who am I, Oikawa?” demanded the alpha, his hand digging into the soft flesh of the smaller male’s face, strong arm wrapped around him as he continued to thrust inside. “Who is going to knot you? _Who am I?_ ”

 

And it was all Oikawa could do not to just _scream_ , his brain fogged over in complete pleasure and submission, his body’s biology finally achieving what it had wanted since he’d presented. His hole was spasming around the thick member pistoning inside of him, his thighs giving way to uncontrollable trembling, so much so that if he was in his right mind, he’d have noticed that the alpha was supporting most of his weight.

 

Ushijima’s demands jerked him back as he answered the alpha, “Ushi-Ushijima...Ushijima!”

 

“I can’t hear you, omega,” the ace growled, punctuating his words with more thrusts, his short hair sticking to his face. He could feel the base of his cock swelling with potent seed, the telltale oncoming of a knot forming as it caught the rim of Oikawa’s puffy, abused hole. The wet sound of Ushijima’s frantic mounting was only drowned out by the steady stream of moans.

 

“Ushijima-” Oikawa’s breathy, high pitched moans slipped through the hand around his cheek. “ _Ushijima Wakatoshi_ ...please give me your knot, please _pleasepl_ -”

 

“Fuck.” A rare curse grunted out of Ushijima, sweat seeping through his clothes. The wing spiker could feel Oikawa’s hole releasing copious amounts slick, signifying to him that the omega’s body was ready, preparing to take a thick alpha knot.

 

Oikawa’s orgasm breaks him; his entire body clenched in Ushijima’s grasp, his hips pushing back desperately on Ushijima’s throbbing length in a desperate motion to call for the knot. Eyes rolling back and full body tremors wracking his bones, the omega’s orgasm seized his body in pleasure. The muscles in his upper body fully relaxed limply as his cock spurted his come down onto the bed, in order to allow Ushijima to better have his way with him. His tight hole fluttered around Ushijima’s dick, squeezing at the base with a needy fervor.

 

Ushijima was close; the swell in his cock was almost too big to fit comfortably inside of the omega, so he decided to push in deep into Oikawa’s insides, grunting as he felt a wet rim latch tightly on the knot, securing it in place. His hips ground against Oikawa with bruising force, his canines lengthening in his mouth. His feral eyes caught the back of the setter’s sweaty neck, noting the scent gland on the side. A thirst and a hunger consumed his mouth as his instincts called up to him to own, to completely tie this mate with him and only him.

 

“Alpha,” Oikawa cried out, feeling Ushijima’s cock swell inside of him. “Are you-”

 

“ _Mine_.”

 

Ushijima’s cock expanded inside Oikawa’s slick passage as he pumped potent come inside the omega’s heated hole, losing himself in his release with a growl. His length continued to expand and twitch inside of the whimpering omega, his own hips pushing forward in a purely primal attempt to have his seed keep inside of Oikawa. Ushijima’s rough hand pulled at the scruff of Oikawa’s defenseless neck, yanking him upwards. A wet tongue bathed his scent gland, nuzzling the setter’s neck. He released a deep, guttural purr that Oikawa felt in his very bones.

 

That was when Oikawa, even in his haze of heat, realized what Ushijima was doing. A panic set in, his body spasming against the cock still spurting a load inside of him. “Ushijima, no, _please_ , Iwa-chan-”

 

With that, Ushijima bit down on the sensitive scent gland inside his neck, sucking down with heavy force. His teeth punctured the delicate skin around the gland, his saliva and DNA mixing with Oikawa’s, his cock pulsing the last of his come inside of the omega’s ass.  

 

“FUCK,” Oikawa shouted in pain, tears welling up. “You’re...Ushijima, I...You’re _marking_ me-”

 

Images of Iwaizumi flooded into Oikawa’s brain, now less muddled since he was able to orgasm and take a knot. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, the wasn’t how any of it was supposed to be. He felt his blood leaking around his neck and onto Ushijima’s lips, dripping down his own collarbone as he felt the alpha’s knot deflate inside of him and slip out. Oikawa turned over weakly, looking up at the now unlatched Ushijima, the searing pain in his neck starting to subside. Now his body was overcome with exhaustion, a sleepy haze slipping over his mind as he fell limp on the bed.

 

“Oikawa-”

 

Before Ushijima could even finish his sentence, the door abruptly opened behind him. Kuroo stood at the door, a bottle of pills in his hand.

 

“Ushijima,” Kuroo whispered incredulously, backing up into the hallway. “Oh my god, you...how did you-”

 

Noticing that Oikawa is dazed and sleepy, Kuroo curses, looking away as Ushijima straightens out his clothes. Thankfully for Oikawa, his heat was now satisfied for a couple hours, with alpha come being a mild sedative during heat.

 

That's when Kuroo notices the bleeding on Oikawa's neck and the tint of red on Ushijima's teeth.

 

"You....fuck, you really did it, didn't you?"

 

"If you're not going to help, get away from my mate," Ushijima bared his teeth at the well meaning alpha, his hormones on edge from another alpha being so close to his mate in heat.

  
"Look, we have to get him out of here. Once the rest of the alphas leave the dining hall there's no doubt they'll be able to smell his heat. Give him these high dose suppressants. I got them from Osaka’s libero, it’s the only way he’ll make it back to campus unharmed. I’ll call you both a taxi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW okay now let's see how this goes
> 
> Thanks for the comments/kudos/bookmarks! I'll update this in a day or two with the next chapter since I already have it written out. Thank you for waiting so long for the smut~
> 
> Shoutout to Kuroo for being the best friend ever seriously everyone could use a friend like Kuroo 
> 
> ALSO POOR IWAIZUMI IM SORRY


	4. Delinquency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello welcome to this update of As They Will, aka "Kuroo Tetsurou Didn't Deserve Any Of This Drama pt 4" or "Iwaizumi Torture Porn Pt 4"
> 
> Thanks for the comments and tears! 
> 
> If you value your feelings, turn back now because I have no intentions of being nice to anyone except Kuroo in this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy, you masochistic fuckers. I got upset writing this so NOW IM SHARING THAT FEELING WITH YOU GUYS

Thick darkness surrounded Oikawa when he jolted awake, disoriented and sweating in a soft place, unsure of his location. Confusion rushed through his brain as he attempted to identify his surroundings, his body surprisingly rested. His memory was foggy, only remembering vague shapes of his surroundings. Thick warmth carrying him up the stairs of the athletics housing apartment complex. A deep voice softened with affection, warm hands wiping sweaty hair off of his face. The aroma of mint and earth enveloping him, which he could still pick up the scent as he sat up. His fingers felt around his clothed body, realizing that he was in his own bed in his scholarship provided apartment. Thankfully, the university provided housing for all of their scouted athletes in an expansive apartment complex within walking distance to campus.

 

“You’re awake?” The deep voice from his foggy memories rumbled through the darkness. The groggy setter perked his head up towards the door frame of his familiar bedroom. He noticed the voice was accompanied by a tall figure he could barely make out. The figure came up to the bed and bent over, turning on the lamp on Oikawa’s nightstand.

 

“Why am I-”

 

With horror, Oikawa realized that the hint of that scent he remembered was now a part of his own, mixing with his own omega scent, now a part of _him._  The scent he’d had since presenting years ago had been tainted, like ink spreading in his blood. A sudden awareness struck him as he felt the heavy throb of the scabbed over mark on his neck, the imprint, his scarlet letter, Ushijima’s _claim_. The moments of his desperate heat, and subsequent claim, flooded back to the front of his mind, his eyes growing wide with fear.

 

“FUCK,” Oikawa exclaimed, hand reaching up to his neck for confirmation. He scrambled out of bed in a panic, almost tripping over his feet. “Fuck fuck _fuck-_ ”

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima’s worried voice followed him as the alpha followed his mate’s shaky steps towards the hallway. “What are you-”

 

“Iwa-chan,” cried the omega, leaning against the wall, still recovering his strength and dexterity. “I have to go to him. I need-”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, two large hands grabbed his shoulders to steady his balance in the dark hallway. “Oikawa,” he repeated more sternly. “You shouldn’t move too much right now.”

 

“You’ve done enough,” Oikawa retorted, pain slicing into his voice, struggling in his teammate’s grasp. “Is this what you fucking wanted, Ushiwaka?!”

 

Ushijima shrugged, releasing his mate, who staggered to regain his step in the darkness. The alpha turned on the light to the hallway, illuminating the both of them. “Oikawa, you’re safe. I also gave you high dose suppressants, so your heat should be gone. Are you still feeling the effects?” _I’m trying to take care of you,_ his words implied. He knew newly mated omegas experiencing the effects of heat could act irrationally, and therefore he tried not to give Oikawa’s confused words too much weight.

 

Oikawa’s form had finally regained its muscle use, his body getting used to his new hormonal changes. His fatigue made it difficult for him to focus on his contempt. Rapid rises in his chest signified his attempts to calm himself down, a faint purr murmuring inside of his throat. “Safe? You call _this-_ ” he pointed to his Bond Mark, “-safe?”

 

“You...” Ushijima paused, his brow furrowing in mild confusion. He reached out a hand to Oikawa’s temple, brushing away stray hair. “What are you talking about? You’re my mate. I can keep you safe from any other alpha.”

 

“I can’t be your mate, Ushijima,” Oikawa answered, almost as if trying to convince himself as he backed away, his brown eyes wide with denial. “I had plans, _we_ had plans, I need Iwa-chan, I just, I can’t-”

 

“You’re thinking in the past,” Ushijima stated simply, as if he was talking about something as mundane as the weather or as factual as how blue the sky was. “I don’t care whatever you think you had with that old ace of yours. I accept you as mine.”

 

Oikawa clenched his t-shirt with white fingers, his vision blurring. This was real. This wasn’t a nightmare, his mating with Ushijima wasn’t a hallucination brought on by his heat.  

 

"I've already submitted our Bond Notification to the university. Our scholarship will soon pay for joint housing." He looks at his new mate with intent, the hint of excitement gracing his features. He’d done it; he’d finally won, finally claimed the omega he’d been wanting ever since he saw his beautiful jump serve years ago.

 

"...and what if I don't want to move in with you?" asked the setter, vitriol seeping into his words, jerking Ushijima away from his thoughts. Oikawa focused on gathering the rest of his strength. High dosage heat suppressants were prescription only, due to the fact that they have undesirable side effects. They fully stopped a heat and provided emergency contraception, but tended to wreak havoc with energy levels.

 

A dismissive sigh left Ushijima's lips, his fists curled. His body was releasing enough scent to make any alpha in the complex antsy if the place hadn’t been scent proof. In the light, he could see the hurt in his mate’s eyes, and he chose his next words carefully. The last thing he wanted was to scare his mate when he was at his most vulnerable.

 

"Look, I don't want to force you, but I absolutely will, if I have to. Submit to me, and we will reach the top together. I can give you _everything_ Iwaizumi Hajime couldn't and you _know_ this. I won't tolerate a mate who doesn't trust me. I can't let you fight me on this." _I won't let you fight me on this._

 

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you claimed me, yeah?" Oikawa spat back, folding his arms across his chest, shifting away from the alpha in a deliberate defiance. His balance was still shaky, but his strength was returning, partially fueled by his own temper. Ushijima narrowed his eyes; he knew he had claimed a difficult and prideful mate but he wasn't expecting the omega's rejection to dig in this deep. No one had ever gotten under his skin like Oikawa. He had encountered omegas in heat before, but no one had ever been able to drive him into an unexpected frenzy like at the training camp, lighting a fire inside of him he usually only felt a hint of while playing on the national stage. Perhaps that was why Ushijima wanted to give him everything, wanted to possess all of the fire he felt inside of Oikawa, to claim it as his own weapon.

 

"..I'm a good alpha, Oikawa. It's insulting that you don't trust me." A quiet fury hung heavy in Ushijima's voice, his chin raised in an aggressive posture. Most omega would have been groveling at this point, the alpha's presence indicating danger to anyone picking up on the scent.

 

Oikawa's exasperated voice echoed in his apartment. "It's not that you're not a good alpha, Ushiwaka! You...you really don't fucking get it? I really forgot how _dense_ you are. You just come in and decide everything yourself without even-"

 

"Look Oikawa, I've claimed you. You can sulk all you want, but it won't change the fact that you're my mate, not Iwaizumi Hajime's." _This is not up for debate._

 

Ushijima's words hit Oikawa like a ton of bricks. The setter buried his face in his hands, leaning against the frame leading the hallway into the living room. His scent was distracting to his alpha, whose instincts demanded that he console the omega. Ushijima's large palms twitched with the feeling of emptiness.

 

A few more moments passed before Oikawa spoke again, the gears turning in his head to try and comprehend his options. "So...what now? Am I supposed to just sit back and be your bitch? Get knocked up and bear all of your healthy alpha pups for your family to parade around? How am I even going to face Iwa-chan?"

 

The ace grit his teeth at the mere mention of another alpha on his mate's sharp tongue. The thin line of his mouth opened in a sigh. "I want nothing more than to achieve all of your dreams, Oikawa. I want you as my setter, and _my mate_ , and I want to bring you to the Olympics with me. I would never dream of forcing you to bear my pups before you're ready. I never chose you because I wanted a weak mate. I chose you because I want a partner, regardless of nature. I'm the best choice for you."

 

Oikawa fell silent again, then let out a weak laugh. Ushijima never lied, admittedly. "Are you confessing? Ushiwaka, that's quite a bit of courting to fit into such a short time, don't you think?" Even so, his alpha's words stirred something inside of the omega. The mark on his neck that fit Ushijima's teeth perfectly pulsed with pain, as if trying to scold Oikawa on the alpha’s behalf for his defiance. “We both know you only knotted me because I was in heat, and you only claimed me because you have some sick twisted need to destroy _everything_ for me.”

 

"Don't insult me," Ushijima barked back, defensive in his stance. "I can resist an omega in heat."

 

"Oh?" Oikawa mocked the alpha, his head tilted in false concern. "Is that why you fucked me while I was in heat? Is that why you claimed me? I remember Kuroo-chan was able to walk away, so what’s your-"

 

Ushijima snapped without thinking, sharp eyes narrowed with anger and frustration at being compared to another alpha, "I said I could resist an omega in heat, but I never said I could resist _you_. I’m not some animal, Oikawa."

 

"Could have fooled me! Ushiwaka, you barely fucking know me!" cried the setter, exasperated, shoulders bristling defensively. "Not like Iwa-chan! You weren't there for me since pretty much the beginning, you weren't the one fighting at my side, you-"

 

"I would have been if you'd have let me back then," the alpha interrupted, his voice strained. "Look, I just, I don't understand why you're fighting me on this. I am asking you to follow me to exactly where you want to go, where Iwaizumi Hajime was never able to take you."

 

"Please, just...keep Iwa-chan's name out of your mouth." Oikawa's shoulder slumped, hand coming up to cover his red eyes, backing away from Ushijima's hard gaze.

 

“You think that was how I wanted this to happen? To have you hate me and constantly push me away like this, like I was some kind of _rapist_ ? I thought...I thought there was no way you'd end up like...that, in my dorm...on _accident_ . I thought you were, that we-" _I thought you were accepting my feelings._ Ushijima stops himself, the futility of his effort sinking in.

 

"Are you kidding me, Ushiwaka?!" Oikawa laughed without joy, hands flying up in exasperation. His smile darkened on his beautiful features, eyes now downcast away from the alpha. A mirthless chuckle shook his shoulders. Ushijima studied him, attempting to read his new mate’s actions, an unsettling knot forming in his stomach. Oikawa leaned his head back, sliding his hands in his pockets. The cold smile on his face accompanied a deep, calculating expression, despite the red in his eyes.

 

Oikawa finally spoke again, a cruel tone inflected in his words, “...You know, even when you were marking me, Iwa-chan was in my mind. How does that make you feel, Ushiwaka-chan?"

 

The alpha’s insides felt as if he wanted to vomit hot oil, and he swallowed around the fury in his throat. A possessive, jealous rage pushed through his rational thought. Oikawa’s sickeningly sweet smile only served to further incense Ushijima. Before even Oikawa’s trained reflexes could react, the setter felt hot fingers wrapped around his neck, the back of his head aching from being slammed against the wall of his apartment’s hallway. The air felt pulled out of his chest with the sheer force, his teeth having narrowly avoided biting his own tongue. His chest rose in ragged breaths, movement confined by Ushijima’s own torso in such close proximity, limiting the depth of his breath. Once his brown eyes refocused, he could see the primal, restrained look on Ushijima’s face.

 

“Stop _fucking_ with me, omega.”

 

Ushijima’s jealousy clouded his judgement, making him see red. His length hardened in his pants, his need to dominate, to make his mate submit to him and his word. The red, swollen Bond Mark he’d imparted on Oikawa’s smooth skin calling out to him as a sign of his ownership. Trained fingers clenched at the soft column of his omega’s neck, just enough to keep him in place. His dick stirred in his pants, pressing against Oikawa’s groin with intense fervor as he remembered the heated look on the setter’s desperate face when he’d begged the alpha to help with his heat in the dorm room. His thoughts were growing in intensity, consuming his senses; if he didn’t stop, he’d go into a premature rut.  

 

“I’m not in heat anymore right now, Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa’s breath voiced piped up mockingly in front of Ushijima as he felt the alpha’s foreboding scent wash over him. “What’s your excuse this time? You may have taken away my choice to be marked but I’ll make damn sure I'll _never_ mark you back."

 

Ushijima’s hold on Oikawa’s throat constricted for a split second before the ace letting out a feral growl, tossing Oikawa aside with restrained strength. The omega sank to the floor of his apartment with a thud, watching the door slam shut. He let out a relieved breath, cursing his limbs for shaking, and cursing his abdomen even harder for responding to the heated exchange.

 

In his room, he could hear his phone ringing. Iwaizumi’s ringtone, the bright tune bubbling up obnoxiously, almost mocking him. He told Iwaizumi he would be back by this time. He’s probably worried, wanting to ask Oikawa how the camp went.

 

Rather than answering it, he buried his face in his hands with a frustrated wail.

 

The next morning, he emailed their coach, submitting a Heat Absence Request, which allowed an omega to skip both extracurriculars for a period of three days. Oikawa was in no state to attend classes, much less practice, where he’d be confronted with a constant reminder of exactly who he now belonged to in his DNA. His phone had been blowing up; the majority of the calls from Iwaizumi, who rightfully was wondering what happened to his best friend. He couldn’t bring himself to even listen to the angry voicemails he knew were filling up his inbox.

 

Almost as bad as the voicemails from Iwaizumi were the packages of milk bread left on his doorstep.  

 

Kuroo had been concerned when Oikawa showed up to class, having been kept in the dark after sending Ushijima and Oikawa back. According to the black-haired alpha, they weren’t missed from the training camp since the only events left were closing events like the dinner. Despite the misery he found himself in, he thanked Kuroo for his efforts at the camp; who knows who would have stumbled across him if not for his help. He shuddered when he’d remembered that Hokkaido team’s captain, or worse, the entire Hokkaido team’s lineup.

 

"Don’t be dense, he's probably hurting, too." Kuroo’s lazy gaze fell towards the auburn-haired omega sitting next to him in their lecture, Oikawa’s first since coming back from the training camp. "In his mind, you seduced him just to throw him away. Who knows, maybe you really were just looking for an excuse to not Bond with that old ace of yours."

 

Figuring he owed Kuroo of all people an explanation, he had outlined the recent events.

 

"Don't you dare fucking talk about Iwa-chan like that," snarled Oikawa defensively, trying to keep his voice down as not to draw attention from their classmates. The professor droned on, the large lecture hall full of students taking notes, seemingly unaffected by the pair’s conversation. Dusty pink sunlight shone in through the window, indicating that the sun was on it’s way down for the day.

 

Kuroo merely shrugged his broad shoulders, twirling his pen in his hand. "Calm down, I don't have a dog in this fight. Well, I'd like to see two of my teammates live happily ever after since I'm so considerate-" Oikawa groaned derisively, "-but I'm just offering an alpha perspective. Consider me a neutral party."

 

"So you get off on playing devil's advocate?" The setter rolled his eyes, barely paying attention to the lecture.

 

A sly grin formed on the middle blocker's face, "Nah, that would mean I'd be on your side, ne?"

 

"I have no idea why megane-kun tolerates you." Oikawa kicked Kuroo from under the table, who only responded with a bright smile.

 

"Me either."

 

After the lecture, Kuroo accompanied Oikawa out of the building and towards the apartment complex they lived in, despite the setter’s protests. With the sun beginning to set, a black-haired alpha trailed behind Oikawa, his hands stretching behind his neck as he followed the omega leisurely, almost infuriating Oikawa with how relaxed he was compared to himself. The two walked down the dark sidewalk that led from the campus to their adjacent housing. The city around the university was eerily quiet, the only sound being the soft rumble of the freeway nearby and their shoes on the pavement.

 

“So you’re telling me you’ve been screening Iwaizumi’s calls since you got back?” asked Kuroo, eyebrows raised. “Sounds like a lot of effort, if you ask me. Doesn’t he go to our university?”

 

“Yeah, but...” Oikawa sighed, eyes cast downward. “He’s in a different department, and he lives off campus.”

 

“Ah yeah, this place is like a city within itself.”

 

Oikawa traveled back to before the university entrance ceremony, when both he and Iwaizumi had gotten the keys to their respective apartments. Iwaizumi had taken him to show him his apartment, a one bedroom partially paid for by his family. His mind swelled with memories of spending the night, feeling Iwaizumi’s warmth in the bare apartment he’d not had a chance to furnish yet, memories of black hair and calloused fingertips, their first night together away from their home prefecture. The sensation of Iwaizumi’s breath on the back of Oikawa’s neck as he slept behind him, holding him close, so tight he was unsure the alpha was going to let him leave in the morning. Now, those memories ghosting in front of his eyes as a reminder of everything he’d thrown away. All for an alpha he’d despised for so long but made his body light on fire and leak slick with the smallest actions.

 

“How am I even going to face Iwa-chan? He...he deserved so much better than this,” the setter lamented, hands clutching his bag tightly, where a phone full of texts and voicemails from his best friend resided. “I can’t avoid him forever.”

 

Kuroo turned to face the setter, greeting him with a somber and sympathetic look. The middle blocker shrugged, running his hand through his ink black hair.

 

"You know, Oikawa," Kuroo began, changing the subject tenderly, "You're lucky Ushijima wants your mark and is willing to wait for it. If he really wanted to, he could just leave you half mated for the rest of your life for being so obstinate...Ah, too bad not all alphas are as patient as me."

 

"Obstinate seems like a big word for you, Kuroo-chan. What are you, his wingman?" Oikawa muttered bitterly, hands in his pockets. "Don't you think I haven't worried about that? I'll let you know I'm very capable of worrying about everything. All the time."

 

"Sure sure...but have you considered that by leaving him in limbo, you're fucking with him too?" Kuroo asked in that half joking, half serious voice of his. "He wants you, Oikawa. If he didn't care about you or was just fucking with you, he wouldn't be waiting for you. If he was even the slightest bit spiteful, you know he wouldn't be bothering with you stringing him along."

 

Oikawa shifted his weight, avoiding his teammate's piercing gaze. "...Whatever."

 

"Don't 'whatever' me!" Kuroo knocked the setter on the back of his head, "Listen to me when I'm giving such wise guidance, jackass!"

 

Oikawa whined, clutching his head, "Ow! So violent, Kuroo-chan! I'm gonna tell your megane-kun all about how you're such an abusive friend! You guys aren't even bonded, what gives you the right to give me advice?!"

 

Kuroo's scent changed every so slightly.

 

Ouch. He touched a nerve.

 

"Tsukki is even more rebellious than you, Oikawa." Kuroo sighed, partly reminding himself of the fact. "But he is also still in high school, and won't be able to move here until graduation most likely." He let out a grin. "I'll just have to pounce on him when he gets here. I’m sure it’ll be more romantic than hooking up at a training camp, though."

 

Oikawa didn't miss the jab and his face flushed with embarrassment, "Like you're so dignified. You really think you can wait another year and a half?"

 

Kuroo turned away from his teammate and headed up the stairs to the doors of the complex, a small smile cutting through his features, his eyes shockingly gentle for his nature.

 

"Yeah. I can."

 

Oikawa rolled his eyes.

 

_Stupid happy people. They should all just go die._

 

In the university’s athletics housing complex, most of the residents had already retired to bed. The air hung heavy with the rumble of the sounds of the city surrounding the campus.

 

Oikawa jolted awake from a deep sleep in his computer chair, glasses having fallen off and the white noise of the DVD player on his laptop looping over and over uselessly. His laptop showed the time being just past midnight. A dull, violent knocking resonated throughout his apartment, startling the sleepy omega. Oikawa threw on a hoodie over his shirt before sprinting to see who was so loud at this time of night. If he didn’t stop this racket, the property manager would have his head, if his neighbors didn’t get to him first. Scampering to the door, he opened without thinking.

 

His eyes shot open, forcing a state of wakefulness throughout his body when he saw a very pissed off Iwaizumi Hajime on the other side of his door.

 

“What the fuck happened to you? Did you drop your phone in the toilet or something, dumbass?” Iwaizumi pushed his way into Oikawa’s apartment, shutting the door behind him. The alpha exhaled, and Oikawa realized how tired Iwaizumi looked. Clearly he hadn’t been sleeping. “I haven’t heard from you since you went to the training camp! Do you know how long it’s been?”

 

“I’m sorry, Iwa-chan,” the setter apologized, diverting his eyes. Seeing this unusual display of submission softened Iwaizumi’s features, concern filling his eyes.

 

“No, it’s fine...” Iwaizumi shrugged, shoulders relaxing in relief. “I was just really worried about you.”

 

Upon receiving nothing but silence from the omega, Iwaizumi brought a hand up to Oikawa’s cheek. “Were you sleeping?”

 

Oikawa flinched, “Yeah. I was watching a taping from a Kyoto team’s game....” His gaze shifted away from his former teammate.

 

It was only then that Iwaizumi’s sharp alpha senses picked up on a change in his childhood friend’s scent. Something was different. It wasn’t the smell of an oncoming heat, nor the smell of cologne. His eyes narrowing as he focused on the scent. He placed his hand on the back of Oikawa’s white neck, yanking his body closer to Iwaizumi’s nose in a jerky motion, startling the omega. The former wing spiker rubbed his nose to the collar of Oikawa’s zipped up hoodie, now picking up on a scent of distress as well. He gave a concerned growl before pulling back. The alpha suddenly realized what, and _who_ , his desired mate smelled like.

 

“You smell different.” Iwaizumi’s heavy words hung in the space between the pair. An accusation. A natural repulsive reflex to an omega that didn’t belong to him. The moonlight from the window shone ominously on Iwaizumi’s stony features, his muscular form appearing to be even taller that he was before.

 

“Iwa-chan, you’re being ridiculous,” a nervous Oikawa stepped back from the alpha, clutching onto his hoodie. “You should go get some sleep, I have practice in the morning and-”

 

Oikawa was immediately cut off as Iwaizumi’s strong hand reached out to grab the omega’s smaller wrist, pulling him towards the alpha almost violently. Iwaizumi’s other hand grabbed at the neckline of Oikawa’s thin hoodie, tearing it away from his pale body.

 

There it was, exactly what Iwaizumi was afraid of, perfectly contrasting against the pale white of Oikawa’s neck. A dark red mark in the shape of sharp canine puncture wounds marred his skin, directly on the omega’s scent gland, clearly a recent Bond Mark. The mark stared up at Iwaizumi mockingly and immediate realization hit the alpha like a train.

 

“What...what the _fuck_ is this?” Iwaizumi wrapped his hand around Oikawa’s neck, placing enough pressure to keep him from moving but not enough to injure him. His features were contorted in a fury that only a jealous suitor could provide, his eyes glazed over in a possessive rage. “ _What have you done?_ ”

 

Oikawa was expecting this reaction, but not how guilty and terrified he felt. This was nothing like the times when Iwaizumi would threaten or beat him before. This was the true rage of an alpha whose mate had been poached. Oikawa shut his eyes tightly, tears welling up, hands clawing at Iwaizumi.

 

“I couldn’t...I wasn’t...” a hoarse whisper erupted from Oikawa. “Ushijima-”

 

Iwaizumi turned his fury into something exponentially worse, his scent portraying a very dangerous alpha. Oikawa’s instincts were pleading at him to escape, to remove himself, to flee.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” the pressure on Oikawa’s windpipe deepened, paying no attention to Oikawa’s claws digging into his hand.

 

"After...after all these years? _Him?_  We were supposed to spend your next heat together! How...how fucking DARE you?" Betrayal and hurt were now seeping into the anger in the alpha’s voice. “Are you...are you THAT slutty? You couldn’t even wait for me after I’d been waiting all these years for _you_?! You just jump on another alpha’s dick the second you’re away from me?! Is this why you’ve been avoiding me? Don’t fucking need me anymore?”

 

A whimper slipped out of Oikawa’s trembling lips. He had no excuses, and the place where his heart was supposed to be beating just felt as if god himself was ripping it out of his ribcage. Shame rose in him, swallowing any reason he could think of explaining to his best friend. The air between them turned into turbulent violence as Iwaizumi suddenly slammed his teeth against Oikawa’s face, biting his lips in a fierce kiss that portrayed no hint of affection. A rough tongue claimed the inside of Oikawa’s teeth with hunger to match the brutal grip on his body, making the omega’s eyes widen in shock and fear; he’d never seen Iwaizumi like this, so animalistic, so feral.

 

This was nothing like the tender, loving kisses they’d shared in high school, not even close. This was nothing like their previous kisses which they used to avoid actually saying those three words to one another, too embarrassed to confess that simple phrase. He kicked his legs out towards Iwaizumi in an attempt to break free but to no avail, Iwaizumi’s tongue reaching towards the back of his throat. The struggle landed the two of them on the floor of his apartment with a loud thud.

 

“Iwa-chan, what are you-” Oikawa attempted to scoot away from the inflamed alpha’s grasp, but Iwaizumi’s rough grip caught his ankle and slid the terrified setter back towards him. A yelp escaped Oikawa as he got a good look at Iwaizumi. He was emanating the scent an angry arousal.

 

He’d gone into rut.

 

Oikawa had heard that alphas could go into rut unpredictably, similar to omegas, but only in times of duress and violence, in case an alpha needed to dominate an omega under any means necessary. He realized nervously that he’d never seen his best friend in rut, but he was a sight that struck fear into Oikawa’s bones. Iwaizumi looked almost rabid. He had roughly flipped the omega onto his stomach, brutally pushing the back of the setter’s neck against the floor in preparation for mounting.

 

Oikawa originally wants to submit, to take his punishment, to let his body take Iwaizumi's knot, to muddle his scent. But a boiling fire burns inside of him, seemingly out of nowhere. Instinct demands that he defend Ushijima's right, his Alpha's right, to his body. He fought against the alpha on top of him, barely recognizable when compared to his childhood friend and previously anticipated mate. A heavy cross between a growl and a purr came from Iwaizumi's throat as nuzzled Oikawa's scent gland on his neck, almost as if attempting to override the red mark Ushijima had left.

 

"I can't believe you let him knot you."

 

The alpha's pupils dilated in excitement and agitation, shortly followed by his canines lengthening in preparation of a Claim. Rough hands clawed off Oikawa's pants, leaving them pooled around his calves. Iwaizumi's knees found their way behind the omega's thighs, forcibly spreading them. His cock was rock hard and jutting forward in an attempt to break through the confines of his pants. Oikawa's eyes widened in fear when he realized Iwaizumi was actually going to try and claim him with his knot and his mark. It was impossible to reclaim a bonded omega after he or she received their Bond Mark from their alpha. Iwaizumi truly wasn't thinking straight.

 

“You don’t smell pregnant yet,” the alpha’s sharp nose was pressed against Oikawa’s smooth skin. “Did he not fuck you hard enough?”

 

"Iwa-chan! Stop, you're not yourself, PLEASE-" Oikawa cried out, desperate to get away from Iwaizumi and his clothed thickness pressing against the omega's ass. Physically, he was no match for Iwaizumi's alpha musculature that had been trained by strenuous physical training. This didn’t compare to the heat he’d felt at Ushijima’s solid grasp at his back when he’d been mounted; there wasn’t a shred of tenderness in this touch.

 

The high pitched voice coming from the struggling omega below Iwaizumi only turned him on more, stirring his instinct to own, to possess. A bite stung Oikawa's exposed ear in an act of dominance, which received a yelp from the distressed omega below.

 

 _Yes, Hajime,_ the voice in his head rationed, _He has always belonged to you. He is rightfully yours. Claim what was stolen from you._

 

"IWA-CHAN-"

 

The setter was ass up, on the floor, with his cheek pressed against cold hardwood floor of the apartment. He had spent countless heats fantasizing about his ace. Fantasizing about their first time together. About finally being claimed by who he had always thought of as his soul mate.

 

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. None of this was. Now he was Ushijima's bitch; even he could smell the change in his scent. His mind was frantically recalling all of his time until now with Iwaizumi and how much he deeply cared for his childhood friend. How excited they had been to both be able to go to the same university. How they had finally admitted to wanting to spend Oikawa's heat together. How he had been looking forward to receiving Iwaizumi's mark on his neck, finally submitting to him and letting all of the prefecture know who he belonged to.

 

His mind pushed these thoughts to the front and center as if trying to gather all of his feelings for his ace and throw them away.

 

But he can't.

 

A small plea came from Oikawa, barely audible.

 

"I love you, Iwa-chan."

 

A small admission, almost a whisper that came from Oikawa's shaking bones underneath the alpha..

 

An apology.

 

Iwaizumi felt like his heart had stopped.

 

His premature rut had vanished, dissolving into shame and despair, nausea pooling in the pit of his stomach. All that remained was his innate desire to care for the omega that had been his best friend for years. The omega whose side he'd stood by all this time. The omega he had wanted to give everything to. He sat back on his heels, his canines retracting, dark pupils returning to normal.

 

"I'm so sorry, Tooru." The alpha croaked out, pain visible in his posture as his sunk his face into his hands. "I don’t want to hurt you. I’ve never wanted to hurt you."

 

Oikawa's breathing was still unstable, his own adrenaline recovering from what his newly claimed omega instincts saw as a fight or flight situation. Shaky hands pulled his own shorts back up over long legs. His face was a mess, the red imprint on his cheek from the floor stained with wetness. Auburn eyes fluttered with dewy tears as the omega choked back a quiet sob, his shoulder trembling. Thank goodness that omega housing was scent proof, otherwise the entire neighborhood would be able to smell such a distressed omega. Not to mention what would have been a murderous Ushijima.

 

It killed Iwaizumi inside to see Oikawa like that. He wanted to reach out and console his childhood friend, but kept his distance out of disgust for himself.

 

"I just..." Iwaizumi began steadily, "I just can't process this. I've wanted you for fucking _ever_ , Tooru. We hated him for years, and now _this_ is what I have to deal with?"

 

Oikawa shifted his gaze, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I didn't plan any of this. I, well...I went into heat at the training camp and..."

 

Iwaizumi's gaze narrowed, stabbing into Oikawa, "Did he force his Claim on you? Because I'll fucking kill him, that’s fucking illegal, I'll rip him to-"

 

"Stop, Iwa-chan..." whispered Oikawa painfully, shamefully remembering how he’d called out Ushijima’s name wantonly back in that dorm. " I don’t know what came over me. My body just...I just...it felt _right_."

 

A pregnant pause filled the apartment. Iwaizumi's face wore an expression somewhere between rage and shame. He should have gotten to Oikawa first. He shouldn't have let this happen. He failed as an alpha. He failed Oikawa. He should have just taken him before anyone else could have. He should have protected him.

 

Iwaizumi’s brain flashed memories in front of him, as if trying to hurt him more. Oikawa was more than an omega; he was Iwaizumi’s best friend, the steady constant, the only person that made him feel like he was home no matter where he was, as long as he was with him. Memories of their third year in high school, the year that Oikawa had asked him to mark him. When they’d rejoiced that Iwaizumi had gotten into the same university that had scouted Oikawa, despite the difficult entrance exams, and when Iwaizumi had told himself that he’d follow Oikawa to the moon if a school there had scouted him instead. At that time, they’d been so carefree with their lives ahead of them, with Iwaizumi never even questioning the possibility that his future could be ripped away from him, poached from under him for the slightest infraction.  

 

The air hung still with implications, silence taking up the space between them before the ace finally spoke, asking a question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

 

"Does it still feel right?"

 

Oikawa turned his eyes down towards his knees that were scuffed up from being on the floor. His knuckles were white, clutching the ends of his sleeves painfully. Oikawa’s body almost flushed as he recalled the thick weight of Ushijima’s body between his legs, the sensation of Ushijima’s touch in his most intimate parts, just the right amount of finesse and brutality to make his eyes flutter. The heated gaze that night at the camp, when Ushijima had called him out in a fit of desperation, like he really could give Oikawa everything he’d wanted.

 

Another long pause.

 

"I’m sorry, I..."

 

That was all Iwaizumi needed to hear.

 

The alpha stood up letting his hand run through his hair. He watched Oikawa shakily rise up, desperately wanting to help him stand. No, he didn't deserve to touch him anymore. It was his fault the omega he wanted was so upset. It was his fault for not claiming Oikawa when he had the chance in high school.

 

Oikawa reached out a slender hand towards his best friend, but Iwaizumi stepped back towards the door. He opened it with caution, facing away from his former setter.

 

"Iwa-chan, please don’t go," Oikawa began, reaching out.

 

Iwaizumi turned around. His eyes were red, a small forced smile on his lips. He interrupted the omega.

 

"I really do love you, Tooru."

 

And with that, Iwaizumi Hajime left.

 

Oikawa sunk back down to the floor, leaning against the shut door of his apartment. A guilty relief spread through the omega's body. Oikawa's instincts congratulated him on fending off another alpha. Despite his feelings for Iwaizumi, in his deepest core, he knew who he belonged to. His DNA was forever changed by Ushijima's mark, as he was painfully finding out.

 

Very painfully.

 

On the sidewalk leading to their complex, Ushijima smelled him before he saw him--a very distressed, agitated alpha sauntering in the opposite direction of the apartments, almost at the train station nearby. He spotted dark spiky hair, but couldn’t tell much of anything else in the darkness. Normally it wasn’t of consequence, but he picked up on the remnants of another, omega based scent coming from the alpha. Upon further examination, the ace recognized exactly the source of the scent.

 

His omega. His _mate_.

 

His blood ran cold in his veins, all hesitation leaving his body as an anxiety he’d never before experienced spiked through his tall frame. Long legs propelled him forward, almost leaping up the stairs to the floor his mate’s apartment resided on. Blood pumping and instinct flaring up, his heart felt like it was beating between his ears. Panic shoved him forward down the hallway, to the open door he recognized.

 

“Ushijima? What are you-?”

 

“What happened?” his question more a statement than a question. "I came up to check on you. I saw Iwaizumi Hajime leaving the building." Ushijima placed his hands on Oikawa's trembling shoulders. "Are you okay? I can smell him on you."

 

Oikawa nodded, "Yeah, just...a few scratches and bruises. I'll be fine."

 

Still, he saw the anger in his alpha's piercing eyes. He felt Ushijima bring one of his hands up to his ear where Iwaizumi had bitten him, the blood starting to congeal, his hair sticking to the wound. His cheek, knees, and neck throbbed from being shoved into the floor, especially considering his previous leg injury. Ushijima studied the torn and disheveled clothing on his mate, realizing the true extent of Iwaizumi's attack, as well as his intent. It infuriated him to the core, inspiring a bloodlust he'd never encountered within himself before. His mate was hurt.

 

"How far did he get?" The alpha asked, looking deep into his omega's eyes, searching for even a hint of a lie.

 

Oh no. Tears were threatening to well up in Oikawa's large brown eyes. He huffed, composing himself before confiding in his alpha. "He...took off my clothes...and attempted to mount me. He was in some kind of frenzied rut but I...I managed to get him to come to his senses. He left after that. I promise."

 

Ushijima's expression softened in subtle relief, his grip on his mate's shoulders loosening. But just as soon as he had calmed, his temper flared back up. How dare another alpha touch what he has rightfully claimed? How dare Iwaizumi Hajime endanger his mate? Ushijima's eyes lit with intense purpose, a murderous glint in his gaze.

 

"I need to go. Please excuse me." The alpha sternly yet calmly turned away, his intent clear.  He was not going to let any alpha get away with hurting his mate. When he'd claimed Oikawa, he placed his own guarantee that he would protect the omega with every fiber of his being, to keep him safe and content. He wasn't sure he was able to make Oikawa happy at that current moment but he was damn sure he could make sure his omega was safe. He wouldn't let Iwaizumi get away with terrorizing his mate; his alpha instincts urged him to avenge the honor of his chosen omega, to soothe him and destroy any threats to their well being.

 

Before he could make it out the door, a small tug on his sleeve halted his actions, as well as his thoughts of how exactly to eliminate Iwaizumi Hajime. The wing spiker turned back around, his eyes wild.

 

"Oikawa, I-"

 

"Don't go." Oikawa's trembling voice tugged at Ushijima's need to protect, to console. "Don't blame Iwa-chan. Just...just stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."

 

Golden eyes studied Oikawa, picking up on the sincerity of his request. He would have to leave revenge for a different time. Right now, his mate needed him. A tug on his arm immediately called his attention, his body relishing in Oikawa’s voluntary touch. Warmth swelled up in his broad chest and he brought Oikawa close, pressing a kiss onto his mate's soft lips. It was at this moment that the ace realized that he truly was completely at Oikawa's mercy. Somehow this flighty, rude, confusing, argumentative, brilliant, dedicated, strong omega absolutely captivated him in ways he didn't quite understand. Ushijima wanted to possess the talented setter, to own him, to nurture him, to one day see him grow with his future pups. To conquer everything, to reach to the top of the international volleyball stage. To think that the slightest look from those big auburn eyes could have him immediately dropping everything terrified and thrilled him.

 

If only he could make Oikawa reciprocate even a fraction of those feelings.

 

"Alright. I'll stay." The alpha quietly relented, following Oikawa to his bedroom. He noticed the residual trembling convulsing his mate’s shoulders. His insides stirred, seeing Oikawa’s strong nature being peeled away in distress, his alpha senses demanding a call to action. Before he could offer to help, or even begin trying to purr to soothe his mate, he felt Oikawa’s smaller frame push against his chest, arms wrapping around his neck.

 

“H-hey, Ushiwaka,” Oikawa’s voice cracked, attempting his usual sing-song tone as he slithered his trembling body closer to the ace. In the faint light, Ushijima’s gold eyes could barely make out the pain on his omega’s face, but he could see the strained lines on his face, the swollen under eye circles. As if realizing that Ushijima was catching on to his instability, Oikawa darted out a pink tongue to lick at his mate’s lips, tasting the same mint that was now embedded in his own scent. Ushijima groaned, his grip tightening at Oikawa’s blatant seduction.

 

No, this wasn’t right.

 

“Oikawa...” Ushijima let out a breathy whisper through his teeth. _Don’t tease me like this._

 

"This is what you wanted, right? Me submitting to you?" taunted the setter, the smile on his face forced, mismatched with the sad desperation in his lidded brown eyes.

 

Ushijima gripped the setter even tighter, the temptation calling to his nature, the nature to own, to satisfy his mate. He closed his eyes for a moment before directly looking into his mate’s lidded ones. "Oikawa, I don't think this is-"

 

"You know, Iwa-chan was on top of me," Oikawa's spiteful murmur filled Ushijima's ear,"he could tell I didn't have any pups in me. Said you must not have _fucked_ me hard enough, Ushiwaka."

 

The setter felt his ace’s shoulders stiffen under his fingers, like cord being pulled taut. Oikawa knew he was on contraception now, but that didn't stop him from continuing, "I'm starting to think maybe he was right." The words slipped out of his lips like poison. Ushijima was the only one that could hurt him like he needed to be hurt right now; he had no time for any of this “honor” bullshit that the alpha had seemingly started to try and embody for whatever reason.

 

The jealousy that Ushijima had previously swallowed at Oikawa’s request rose from the depths, and he struggled to keep it down, his chest heaving in effort. He took note of the red lining his mate’s eyes, eyes that betrayed his intentions and revealing his pain to the alpha.

 

Oikawa narrowed his eyes in disappointed derision. It was time to play dirty. He dug his fingernails into the alpha’s large biceps, leaving red, crescent shaped indentations.

 

“If you don’t, I’ll find someone who will.” The setter was digging deep, almost trying to hurt Ushijima as much as he was trying to provoke him, wanting to drag the alpha that had claimed him down into his misery. This was all his fault.

 

The tension snapped, along with Ushijima’s resolve. Oikawa almost grinned when a brutal fist curled in his auburn hair, reminiscent of their altercation at the training camp after he’d caught him practicing with Bokuto and Asahi. Lightening spiked up his body with the harsh tug of pain, his bangs splaying on his panting face. He could barely see Ushijima in the dim light of his laptop, but he gathered more than enough information from the scent his mate was releasing, from the second hand that grabs onto his body to shove him down onto his bed.     

 

“Hurt me, Ushiwaka.” _I deserve it._ Words left unsaid hovering between their bodies. Oikawa knew Ushijima was strong, strong enough to refuse him if he wanted. It was almost better that he didn’t.

 

Ushijima used his free hand to viciously tear off the pajama pants Oikawa was wearing, tearing a few seams along the way. Oikawa’s abdomen fluttered with arousal at the promise of abuse by his alpha’s touch, despite his emotional state. Or maybe because of it. He wasn’t sure at this point. A trickle of slick accumulated between his ass cheeks, dripping down onto the bed and onto Ushijima’s clothed crotch, which was heavy with the weight of a very thick arousal pressing against him. Ushijima’s teeth trailed up Oikawa’s collarbone, grazing the sensitive bond mark, nipping up Oikawa’s jaw until he reached saliva-coated lips. He kissed his mate ravenously, tasting as deep as he could, trying to erase Oikawa’s memories of any touch he might have received before him.

Suddenly, pain. His taste buds tasted copper inside the omega’s mouth. He pulled back reflexively, hand gripping tighter on Oikawa’s hair. The setter’s lips were now tinted with Ushijima’s blood, leaking on his teeth.

 

Devious and angry eyes stared up at him, “I don’t need any of that.”

 

The implication did not go unnoticed by the larger male. With a growl, he used the hand holding Oikawa’s hair and flipped him over, bare ass in the air. Prime dominance position, where the omega is truly at the physical mercy of his alpha. Settling beside his mate, Ushijima kept his gaze locked with Oikawa’s as he completely ignored the omega’s hard member and shoved three fingers inside Oikawa’s only marginally lubricated entrance, the pink rim clenching tight.

 

Oikawa yelped upon feeling the stinging pain, legs trembling upon the intrusion, looking up at Ushijima with hateful yet eager eyes. Ushijima noted the unstable breathing that rocked the omega back and forth on his bed as the alpha drove his fingers inside. Oikawa’s insides were so inviting, squeezing in wet spasms, their heat enveloping Ushijima’s unrelenting fingers. He wasn’t as wet as during heat, but it made no matter; Oikawa’s body had clearly recognized the alpha as his, the only one allowed to elicit such a lewd response, even if his words had not.

 

“More,” Oikawa breathed out, slightly muffled by his now wet pillow. “I said _hurt me_.”

 

Ushijima _needs_ to stop, he knows he should. Even if his mate’s mouth pleads for it, his body may not be able to take it. Ushijima already knew that he was simply being used as a tool for Oikawa's guilt-fueled masochism, just an outlet for his raw self-hatred inspired by _another_ alpha. This wasn’t healthy. This sure as hell wasn’t what Ushijima wanted, not what he’d ever had in mind when he’s entertained thoughts of Oikawa submitting to him. But if his mate wanted this, he was going to provide, even if it meant allowing his body to respond to Oikawa’s hurtful demands. If Oikawa wanted a monster, an _animal_ , then he sure as hell could give it to him.

 

“If that’s what you wanted,” Ushijima’s voice was a low growl in his throat as he shoved his fingers in _impossibly_ deep, so hard Oikawa was wondering if his prostate could bruise. Oikawa’s eyes shot open wide as he cried out. “All you had to do was _ask_.”

 

Pulling out his slick fingers, the alpha wasted no more time. Ushijima’s thick cock was swollen with desire for his mate, an angry red dusting the tip when he pulled it out of his jeans, the taller male not even bothering to remove his clothes. The bulge at the base throbbed in preparation, responding to the aroused scent Oikawa had been giving off. Ushijima left Oikawa’s line of sight when he crawled behind his mate, eyes now hungrily focused on the clenching hole in front of him, fixated on the slick that leaked out obscenely.

 

Oikawa looked over his shoulder, pulling himself up on his hands. “Ushiwaka, hur-”

 

The omega wasn’t permitted to finished his sentence, with a rough hand shoving him face first into the pillow by the back of his neck to muffle the noise as Ushijima shoved the entirety of his massive length inside of the smaller male with a soft grunt.

 

Oikawa absolutely couldn’t breathe. His heart pumping blood through his head, his cock harder than ever. Stinging, _stretching_ , beautiful pain shot through his lower body and moved upwards. The hand on the back of his neck was tight enough to be just more than uncomfortable, small hairs on the back of his head caught in between. His muscles strained at the position, his hips forced to accommodate the member spearing his insides.

 

“This is what you wanted,” Ushijima reminded him, before beginning a rough pace.

 

Oikawa screamed into his pillow as he felt his entire body being jerked back and forth, almost being used as a ragdoll for his alpha to just fuck and abuse. Heat pooled in his cock, in his ass, slick flowing more freely from his hole.

 

“Shut up and fuck me,” Oikawa moaned out his order between thrusts, his words barely audible due to being forced against the pillow.

Ushijima’s body was more than happy to comply, using the entirety of his strength to impale Oikawa, his hand unyielding from its grip on Oikawa’s neck. The knot in his cock was rising, swelling with each punishing thrust inside of his mate, sending jolts of pleasure up the ace’s large frame. The front of his pants were soaked with the slick Oikawa was releasing, the smell wafting up to Ushijima’s nose and driving him insane, pushing him to go deeper and harder, to completely satisfy his precious mate.

 

Oikawa’s growling voice interrupted his thoughts, a primal edge dripping into his demand, “Ushiwaka, touch me!”

 

A rare grin appeared on his alpha’s face as he continued to pound inside Oikawa with thrusts that Oikawa _swore_ he could feel in his bones. “No.” A breathy response goes to Oikawa’s ears. “You don’t _deserve_ it.”

 

“You’re going to come on my knot like a good omega,” Ushijima explained, leaning over Oikawa’s long frame to make sure that his mate heard every word.

 

Oikawa let out a punctuated whine against his pillow, his eyes rolling back, the pain from his arousal combining with the pain of the brutal fucking his former enemy was giving him.

 

“Surrender to me, Oikawa,” the alpha demanded and fucked into Oikawa’s tense body with purpose, thick erection punishing his poor prostate inside of him.

 

The setter’s face was red, flushed with arousal and anger. Anger at himself for loving every second Ushijima spent inside of him, anger at this cursed mark on his neck that kept him away from Iwa-chan, anger at his own stupidity for not insisting Iwaizumi claim him in high school. He absolutely deserved every humiliating punishment Ushijima could dole out. His dick swung obscenely between his spread legs, and he was _so so close_ , so close to just debasing himself all over the bed he’d planned to share with his childhood friend. When he felt the catch of Ushijima’s unfortunately familiar knot on his twitching rim, a shudder fell through his body, hips involuntarily pushing back. He could feel every centimeter, every throb inside of him, and when Ushijima pressed the thick knot inside of him for the final catch while tightening the grip on his neck, Oikawa lost it. His insides seized around the knot inside of him, his red cock twitching and spurting come all over his comforter. Saliva soaked the pillow as his entire body shivered in orgasm.

 

Ushijima realized he had found a time where Oikawa was even more beautiful than on the court.

 

With his knot securely in place, he allowed himself to be edged to orgasm by his mate’s clenching passage, letting every inch of his dick be massaged by Oikawa’s wet walls. Alpha come shot deep inside Oikawa, filling him in thick, wet pulses, searing raw heat spreading into Oikawa’s twitching abdomen. Ushijima took his hand off of his mate’s neck as he hovered over him, his own breathing shallow. He rubbed his hips in grinding circles, his instincts telling him to make sure his seed implants, even though he knew in his mind that Oikawa was on contraceptives.

 

Oikawa was a boneless puddle of an omega, dried tears and saliva staining his face. Once the last pulse of seed spurted from him, Ushijima gingerly removed his deflating member.   

 

Ushijima saw his mate already passed out, apparently from over exertion. His sighed, preparing to clean up after the two of them. He settled on the bed gingerly, his own mental state feeling drained. He pushed a piece of brown hair out of Oikawa’s face. He'd desired for so long to be able to share a bed with this omega, this brilliant player, but there was no feeling of accomplishment. Only a hollow pity, for both himself, and his mate.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa: crying  
> Iwaizumi: crying  
> Me: crying  
> You: crying
> 
> ok I welcome everyone's hate
> 
> if any IwaOi fans want to beat me up, please don't because I'm a weenie I WARNED YOU GUYS IN THE BEGINNING
> 
> This chapter is the angstiest of this fic, so if you made it this far, congrats! The next few chapters are way more upbeat I promise


	5. Degeneracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is pretty shameless, ngl 
> 
> Also you know how I said last chapter was going to be the angstiest? Well we aren’t out of the clear yet because my sadism knows no bounds I guess EVERYONE GETS TO BE MISERABLE 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos/comments/bookmarks! I love seeing everyone’s reaction to this torture

The sun had just risen in the early hours, pink light still clouding corners of the campus. Groggy volleyball players were shuffling into the noisy locker room to the side of the campus gym, changing into knee pads and removing track pants in preparation for morning practice. Today was Oikawa’s first day back to join the team after his leave request; if he’d truly wanted to, he probably could have skipped. But his mind had to keep moving, to focus on something, _anything_ , besides the throbbing of the mark on his neck, the wet ache in his insides. Despite his trauma, he couldn’t lose sight of why he even came to this university, why he’d trained for so long. Now, volleyball was the only thing he had left that connected him to Iwaizumi and their memories together. If he quit, he would be letting down everyone he’d ever beaten, and more importantly, he’d be spitting in Iwa-chan’s face, telling him that everything that’s happened between them was useless, that he threw away their relationship by coming here for nothing.

 

It didn’t hurt that focusing on playing was his only reprieve from self-destructive tendencies. Tendencies that have made him seek out pain from the person who’d forced him into this mess. Tendencies that left bruises under his clothes, left the ache of a stretching fullness, left the memory of the taste of his alpha’s blood on his tongue.

 

“Hi hi!” Oikawa called out from a bench as he secured his knee brace. “So, which one of you missed me the most?”

 

“Don’t ask people to lie so early in the morning, Oikawa,” Kuroo’s deep voice rumbled from the other side of the room, clearly not a morning person by the lack of his usual teasing tone. He removed his warm-up jacket, and stretched his arms in front of him. Times like this were when Oikawa truly assumed Kuroo had been a panther in a past life.

 

“Ah, found the one that missed me the most,” the setter teased. Simultaneously, his sharp eyes darted around to the face of all of his teammates. Most were friendly, if not tired, but there was no mistake. They were clearly avoiding his gaze. He assumed they must have seen his mark peeking out from his t-shirt; after all, he didn’t make any effort to conceal it, partially because it wasn’t practical, partially because he was afraid of Ushijima’s reaction if he did. The bruises the wing spiker made on his body never seemed to fade away enough as it was. The omega had a hunch that they smelled his mark on him, the change in his scent, but hoped they didn’t, or at least hoped they had been sparing his feelings. It was no doubt that the situation was awkward, given Ushijima hadn’t interrupted his training schedule, and their teammates must have realized that he didn’t have a Bond Mark, despite smelling him on Oikawa. He caught small hints of pity in their looks.

 

It disgusted him.

 

At that moment, Ushijima’s warm up suited frame had entered the locker room, clearly having just partaken in a morning run. His eyes moved to Oikawa on the bench; if he was surprised, he didn’t show it. Oikawa purposefully kept his eyes turned away. His body still flushed with warmth every time he remembered the feeling of calloused hands on his hips, on his neck, inside of his most obscene parts, the feeling of seed heating up his insides, the feeling of being manipulated into submission. It was almost offensive seeing the alpha preparing for practice, as stoic as ever. The thought of Ushijima being his ace immediately swelled up memories of how Ushijima had promised him everything, dangled that carrot in front of him like a bribe for his very soul. That also disgusted him, the fact that Ushijima would attempt to use his life ambitions to manipulate his actions inspired fury.

 

As if he could let Ushijima have that much power.

 

“Hey, Kuroo,” Oikawa had stood up, preparing to leave the locker room with the rest of the team. “Can I join you on defense today?”

 

The sleepy, black-haired alpha blinked, almost dropping the water bottle in his hands. “Are you sure? Aren’t you always focusing on offense?” _With Ushijima and the other spikers and setters_ , his words implied.

 

“Ah yeah, but I’m out of practice,” the omega drawled leisurely as he leaned on Kuroo’s shoulder, who flinched away from him. The last thing he needed was any of Ushijima’s possessive wrath. Attempting to be neutral was harder than Kuroo had anticipated, and anyone could tell Ushijima had been on edge due to the scent he’d been harboring. During Oikawa’s absence, the middle blocker had threatened the other teammates with certain death if anyone mentioned their setter’s new Bond Mark, which didn’t take much convincing. Once seeing Oikawa at practice finally, his own senses picked up on an odd scent from the omega. He attempted to decipher it, half wondering if he even wanted to know, if he should even bother anymore.

 

“Kuroo-chan, time to line up!” Oikawa’s smooth voice slipped with the smallest hint of deviancy, a tone full of intention that didn’t go unnoticed by the former Nekoma captain. An uneasiness settled over Kuroo, recognizing a scheme in place when he saw one.   

 

Ushijima carefully watched the two of them intently as he and a handful of upperclassmen took their side on the court with him. Split evenly between the two sides of the net, each side had it’s own objective: one to defend, and one to attack. Noticing Oikawa had switched sides, a second year setter took his place next to the ace.

 

“Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa’s voice dropped into a menacing octave, “Take care of me.”

 

Ushijima studied his mate’s grin from the other side of the net. His omega still had the small scab from his wound acquired by Iwaizumi Hajime, which infuriated the alpha more than he’d like to admit, the idea of another alpha leaving a mark on Oikawa. The slight prickle of annoyance traveled up his spine--while he wanted nothing more than to have Oikawa at his side on the court, he wasn’t sure Oikawa should be playing yet, given the state he was in during their last encounter. Not to mention Oikawa hadn’t given Ushijima his mark, leaving the setter’s body half-mated. It was common knowledge that half-mated omegas were a danger to themselves, due to the fact that other alphas saw this as an invitation to fill in for an absent mate.

 

“Our serve!” Kuroo piped up from beside Oikawa, attempting to cut through the silence between the net, passing a volleyball back towards their server. With that, the coach blew his whistle.

 

Oikawa’s eyes didn’t leave Ushijima’s hands, even as the ball soared over them in an intense spike towards the offense's back row. A loud crack echoed through the gym as one of the upperclassmen received the serve, sending the ball floating into the space in front of the offense’s second year setter. He got into position. Only Kuroo noticed out of the corner of his eye, the omega falling back towards the back row, his eyes intent on studying the movements of the ace on the other side of the net. Ushijima and an upperclassman wing spiker poised in position, soaring into the space above the net.

 

Oikawa isn’t dainty, he’s not afraid, he’s _hungry_ , and he knows exactly who is taking this toss. The upperclassman setter’s  toss is a floating toss, the momentum aiming in front of Ushijima’s coiled left arm. He hits without mercy, like a guillotine coming down onto the ball. Kuroo and the upperclassmen blockers were too late, and Ushijima’s spike speared over their heads and behind them.

 

A deafening smack vibrates behind Kuroo, his cringe already formed on his handsome face before he’s even reached the ground again. The ball struck Oikawa’s outstretched arms with enough force Kuroo wondered if the ball was genuinely going to penetrate the brunet’s wrists, but he lets out a grunt of effort as he expertly sets the ball towards the net before crumpling to the ground with the force. In shock, Kuroo moved and took on the role as the setter. They’d never seen Ushijima’s spike received so accurately without being touched by a block.

 

Their team captain, a wing spiker playing on the defender’s side, sweeps up the opportunity in the chaos. He’s a sturdy alpha that reminded Kuroo of Haiba Lev, with his height and silvery hair. His normally gentle temperament would be uncharacteristic for an alpha, if one had never seen him play. He struck the ball with force only second to Ushijima, surprising the offensive side of the net. The ball isn’t returned, giving them the first point of the match.

 

“Nice kill, captain!”

 

“Oikawa, holy _shit-_ ”

 

The team captain didn’t waste any time celebrating, immediately making his way to Oikawa, who was gingerly standing back up and rubbing his arms with his hands. Ushijima wasn’t bothered by losing the point, but he was bothered by his mate in stress. Oikawa rarely showed his weakness, especially when physically injured. What was he playing at? And why didn’t he detect the scent of distress?

 

“Oikawa-kun, are you alright?” The captain reached out his hands towards Oikawa’s tender arms. The omega gave a gentle smile up at his captain, looking up at him from underneath full eyelashes. “You took that pretty hard, yeah?”

 

Oikawa replied, an orchestrated flush on his cheeks. “I...I think. It kind of hurts here, though.” The setter let his eyes well up for just a second before taking his captain’s outstretched hand. He caressed his captain’s hand for the smallest moment, bringing it up to one of his quickly reddening forearms. Oikawa’s arms stung, red welts starting to appear. Kuroo noticed that since Oikawa had crouched at the last second, he probably dispersed most of the momentum. A truly high level reaction, to be expected from a player scouted for the nation’s top university team.  

 

“Do you need an ice pack?” The captain asked with concern, visibly flustered by Oikawa’s unexpected attention. Ushijima’s glare pressed into the captain’s back, his fists curled. Not only did he injure his own mate, but he’d actually given another alpha an excuse to touch Oikawa.     

 

“No, I think I’ll be fine. All for the team, right?” Oikawa cheerfully pressed on, letting his fingers ghost over the captain’s as the omega pulled away and back into his position.

 

Kuroo rolled his eyes. This is too much for him to put up with this goddamn early.

 

“Alright next serve!” The coach’s gruff voice called out to his players as the manager tossed a volleyball back to the defender’s server.

 

Oikawa had trotted up next to Kuroo, still rubbing his arms in the line of both Ushijima and the captain’s sight. Kuroo narrowed his eyes at his teammate and leaned close, reaching out to inspect Oikawa’s arms.

 

The omega fought from releasing a yelp when his alpha teammate clutched his arm with deceiving pressure, making him falter.  

 

“You’re an idiot.” Kuroo stated with a smile on his face, his eyes menacing. _If you ruin this team with your nonsense, you deserve everything that’s come to you._

 

Ushijima’s hawk-like eyes were still focused on his mate, attempting to comprehend why Oikawa had been so hurt he’d required both the captain and Kuroo Tetsurou to help him, yet he couldn’t detect the smallest hint of distress on him. He knew his spikes were heinous, having broken bones before (something he’d deliberately kept from Kuroo for the sake of peacekeeping). But he personally knew Oikawa’s strength and recognized it. 

 

Unless Oikawa was deliberately-

 

“Oikawa.” Ushijima’s voice called out just as the ball was served overhead. The snapping crack behind him confirmed contact with the back row center, the corner of his eye making contact with their setter. Solid legs propelled his frame fluidly back into position almost in reflex; his body had trained extensively, and attacking was as natural as walking or breathing. He brought down his hand with punishing force towards the ball in front of him.

 

His eyes widened when he was face to face with both Kuroo and Oikawa, who’d rose up to block him. His aim was already set, trajectory already predicted by Oikawa due to his left handed status as well as his body position. Before the ace could alter his shot, the ball had already left the surface of his hand.

 

Their teammates would have sworn they saw both Kuroo and Oikawa be pushed back midair when the ball made contact with their outstretched hands and wrists, ricocheting off out of bounds. Offense’s point. This confirmed Ushijima’s suspicions.

 

Oikawa and Kuroo sunk back to the ground, Oikawa ending up falling on his ass for the second time.

 

“Oikawa!”

 

“Oikawa-kun, are you okay?”

 

The omega opened his eyes to see the captain offering a warm hand to him. He took it, allowing the alpha to help him up slowly. Kuroo was almost sure his eyes would literally lose their position in his head if he’d rolled them any harder.

 

“I’m fine, just wish I could have blocked it,” an angelic voice dripped out of Oikawa as he stood on shaky legs. “Thanks for helping me up. I wonder why Kuroo-chan didn’t?” Kuroo’s glare told him exactly why.

 

“You’re really pushing yourself,” The captain smiled back with genuine worry. Oikawa still held onto his hand, stroking the warm underside of the alpha’s thumb.

 

“Don’t worry,” reassured Oikawa with the smallest hint of degeneracy tilting up the corners of his mouth. “I can take quite a bit.”

 

Before the captain could even stammer out a reply, a rough hand yanked Oikawa’s arm away from the other alpha and he felt the rest of his body follow. Oikawa felt heat surge through their point of contact, the stinging combined with the pain from receiving the spike earlier.

 

“Ushiwa-”

 

“What are you doing?” Ushijima’s gaze was unyielding, on the verge of a stern anger.   

 

A sly shadow hovered over Oikawa’s eyes, “I’m just practicing, Ushiwaka-chan. Sorry I’m not living up to your expectations.”

 

“You’re going to hurt yourself. Come back to our side.” Ushijima’s tone was as uncompromising as the grip on his mate. “You’re done for defense today.” His scent was foreboding, heavy in the air, making even the captain uneasy.

 

Before Oikawa could protest, a second alpha hand squeezed his shoulder, almost hard enough to bruise. Kuroo’s grinning face appeared over his shoulder, directly facing Ushijima.

 

“I agree, Oikawa-kun!” Kuroo’s expression was betrayed by his harsh grip, looking at Ushijima pointedly as if to say _I’m returning this burden to you._

 

The rest of the practice, Kuroo Tetsurou genuinely considers taking applications for new friends.

 

Humidity characteristic of the transition from spring to summer began to permeate the air as the sun climbed further in the sky after the team’s morning practice, the campus starting to come to life with sparse pockets of students and faculty migrating through. Once the team had finished, Kuroo made sure he was the first out of the locker room, using the excuse of an early morning class.

 

The former Nekoma captain let dewy grass crunch under his shoes as he walked in the opposite direction of campus and around the other side of the gym. He had a goal in mind, an objective. One he wasn’t even sure he should be partaking in; after all, none of this was his business. Well, until Oikawa and Ushijima brought their stupidity on his court. Blame it on his captain instincts, blame it on his uneasiness at the scent of an agitated alpha he picked up on his way to practice, a scent that lingered even after practice. Whichever reason, he couldn’t let it pass. He couldn’t let a threat present itself without investigation.

 

His senses took him further around the corner, to a shaded warehouse whose windows peered into the gym. He cocked his head to the side looking around, mildly curious, like a cat that had cornered his prey. An alpha was near the window, apparently so lost in thought he didn’t notice the other alpha that had entered the area.

 

“Oi,” Kuroo’s deep voice reverberated through the warehouse. "You get a good enough view over there, Peeping Tom? Or should I say, Iwaizumi Hajime?"

 

The other alpha stiffened, his startled form rotating to face Kuroo. Shock dissolved off of Iwaizumi’s expression, but his hands remained clenched at his sides. His face wore an uneasy look as he pointed his eyes towards the floor. Slight bags hung under dark eyes, something Kuroo assumed the other alpha didn’t wear normally.

 

“How do you know who I am?” Iwaizumi’s gruff voice asked. Kuroo picked up no scent of hostility or anger, and relaxed his own shoulders.     

 

“Lucky guess,” sighed the middle blocker, approaching Iwaizumi in leisurely strides.

 

“Then you know I’m not getting info for another team or anything,” an edge sharpened Iwaizumi’s voice, his posture defensive.

 

Kuroo slid even closer to the other black-haired alpha, to where he was leaning against the window next to him. He placed a lazy elbow on the window ledge.

 

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” Kuroo pulled no punches, his face still eerily calm. As if he wasn’t twisting hot iron in Iwaizumi’s stomach.

 

"What do you know?" Iwaizumi answered his question with his own, his defensive stance placing him angled even further away from Kuroo’s prodding eyes.

 

"I know Oikawa-kun cares about you deeply. And wouldn't want you torturing yourself like this,” replied Kuroo matter-of-factly as he wiped dust off of his warm up jacket.

 

“I just had to see for myself,” a hint of weakness tainted Iwaizumi’s voice. He didn’t know this guy, but for now he seemed to be the only one who had a hint of an idea of what was going on in his mind. His mate poached, his best friend casting him aside, his entire life decisions into question.

 

“You should talk to him,” Kuroo advised.  

 

Iwaizumi’s shoulders lifted in a hollow laugh. Images of losing himself, losing his mind in a mad rut swarmed the former ace’s memory, bringing fresh shame to the surface. He remembered the sheer horror in Oikawa’s face, the taste of omega blood on his lips, the reaction of his hardness reacting to terrorizing his childhood friend.

 

“I don’t deserve to speak to him anymore.” Iwaizumi couldn’t stomach the thought of demanding to speak to Oikawa after what he’d done to him. He’d wanted to possess Oikawa, to own him, but not like that. Not involuntarily.

 

“Suit yourself,” Kuroo resigned, looking out of the window with sharp eyes. “Just don't get caught by anyone else. Not everyone is as kind as I am." _I'd rather my team's ace not be charged with murder._

 

“How dare you?”

 

Oikawa perked up from his spot placing the books back in the dark life sciences storage room as a favor for his professor. His lean form stilled at the faint scent of aggression. He could pick up on the scent of two fellow omega, most likely women, and very much displeased. He turned around and confirmed his suspicions. Two omega females were standing in the storage room with him now. One was taller than the other, with cunning features and such large breasts Oikawa was sure Karasuno’s Tanaka would faint if he saw them. Her friend stood slightly behind her, the obviously more submissive of the two, with thin glasses and a dainty appearance that made Oikawa question if she was actually old enough for university. He loved girls; they usually were easily taken in by his charisma, and alpha women in particular often pursued him.

 

“Hi ladies!” Oikawa sported a fake smile and set down his bag. “What can I help you with today?”

 

“Shut up, Oikawa-san,” barked the tall female omega, as hostile as a female omega can appear. “How can you come here with a straight face?”

 

“Yeah...” the shorter girl agreed, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses. “Everyone knows you seduced poor Ushijima-san into marking you.”

 

“You come back here reeking of his scent and flaunting his Bond Mark when everyone knows you never even gave him an invitation to court,” stated the large breasted girl as she stepped closer to Oikawa, who wasn’t backing down. “He isn’t wearing your mark, he must not want your mark after whatever you did to get him to Claim you. Did you take advantage of him?

 

The male omega’s eyes widened, then he could barely contain his laughter. “Oh is this what you’re upset about?” He rubbed his hand over the red and swollen mark on his neck’s scent gland before continuing with a voice seeped in sarcasm, “You see, my first thought when I wake up in the mornings is to ask how I can make other people comfortable. But! Unfortunately all my turtlenecks are in the wash. How careless of me.”

 

“You know it’s not just about that,” the glasses-wearing girl folded her arms, shooting Oikawa an angry look.

 

A light clicked on inside the setter’s mind. “Oh, I see...You two had your invitations to court rejected by Ushiwaka-chan?” Oikawa sneered, "What a shame, rejected women are so unsightly."

 

The taller of the two girls let out a derisive snarl, "As if any self respecting alpha would want such a masculine omega, especially one like Ushijima-kun. That's probably why he hasn't let you mark him, right? Maybe he is looking for another mate."

 

Something snapped in Oikawa. "Well, that's too bad for him if so, since I don't think he can even get it up for anyone but me."

 

The smaller girl hitched a breath, the other obstinately scowled, preparing for another reply when Oikawa cut her off. He was sick of this, cat fights weren’t his style and definitely not worth his time. He had to laugh at the irony--if he could have passed Ushijima off to one of these flighty girls, he would have. Whether his body would let him was a different matter, though.

 

"Do you want to know what Ushiwaka-chan is like in bed?" The setter got in uncomfortably close to the two girls, wearing the same smile he used to get what he wanted throughout high school. "Because I can tell you."

 

He took a step even closer, using his height to loom over the pair of flustered girls, cornering them by stepping between them and the only exit.

 

"Unrelenting. Claims _every_ inch of your body until you're covered in bites and bruises and maybe even bleeding. He takes pleasure in making you come until you forget your name, using brute force to push himself as _deep_ as he can go until you can almost-"

 

"Oikawa-san!" One of the girls blushed and tried to interrupt, but he kept going.

 

"-feel him in your throat, and then? Ushiwaka-chan refuses to stop until you're literally _begging_ for his pups. Then-"

 

"O-Oikawa-san!" The other female omega cringed.

 

"-and only then, does he knot you, which feels like being spread open by a damn volleyball in your hole, by the fucking way. And then-"

 

"Oikawa." A deep voice called out into the space behind the setter.

 

_Fuck._

 

"My knot isn't the size of a volleyball."

 

_Yep, blunt as ever._

 

Ushijima's tall form was standing behind Oikawa in the doorway, a restrained look on his handsome face. Oikawa turned white as a sheet, his insides feeling like they were going to fall right out of him. The two girls chirped, taking a few steps away from the overpoweringly hostile scent Ushijima was releasing. The room suddenly felt much smaller.

 

"Ushiwaka-chan?" The smaller male stuttered nervously, looking up at the alpha. Wide brown eyes sheepishly looked up at the wing spiker, subconsciously showing submission. Ushijima placed his large right hand on his omega's shoulder before turning his head to look at the two cowering female omegas. The hand on Oikawa tightened, almost to where he was afraid of his knees buckling against the dusty floor.

 

"Go." An order seeping with alpha authority slipped from Ushijima's throat quietly. Before it was even completed, the two girls had hastily scampered their way back through the door of the room. Oikawa attempted to use this chance and dart away from the obviously agitated alpha, but Ushijima was faster than he could anticipate, using his left hand to grab at the scruff of Oikawa's vulnerable neck. He wasn’t surprised Ushijima’s favorite spot seemed to be his neck; it was a point of eroticism for most alphas, with the neck being the location of the precious scent glands.

 

Having been pulled backwards towards Ushijima, Oikawa let out a whine, unable to escape the strong grip, knocking over cleaning supplies in the struggle. Their loud tumble echoes around them.

 

"Stop running away from me, Oikawa."

 

Barely listening, Oikawa hurriedly attempted to explain himself, "Look, I was just trying to fuck with them, I didn't expect-"

 

"Oikawa." Ushijima interrupted. The setter took the moment to silence himself and look up at Ushijima's face. His expression was dark not with anger, but something else entirely. The line of his mouth cut into a stern line across his face, his pupils dilated, a soft growl emanating from deep in his chest. Oikawa's body grazed the outline of a very hard alpha arousal trapped in Ushijima's warm up pants.

 

 _He's turned on,_ Oikawa realized with glee. He had the upper hand here, Ushiwaka must really be an animal. Now it was his turn to mess with the alpha, hopefully making him forget about this embarrassing situation. If he can cause a bit of pain, even better.

 

"...Ushiwaka-chan, anyone could come in this room." The omega said pointedly, leaning against Ushijima's stiff body. Very stiff. "You got this hard just by eavesdropping on me? I didn't know you were such a pervert."

 

"Don't mess with me, Oikawa." A strained voice left his throat as he turned the setter to face him. "I cannot help a biological response. Keep in mind," -his voice dropped lower as his hand traversed over the expanse of Oikawa's pale throat- "I'm attempting to respect your boundaries."

 

A small sigh left Oikawa's glistening lips, the omega shuddering at the feeling of hot fingers grasping at his neck. If he wanted to, the alpha could snap the delicate omega neck, which only spurred the heat forming in Oikawa's abdomen even more. The pain in his arms from their previous practice reminded him of just how powerful Ushijima could be. In the quiet air of the supply room, Oikawa could hear Ushijima's labored breathing, betraying just how much force he was using to restrain himself. Long, slender legs parted, allowing Ushijima to feel for himself how well Oikawa's body has responded to him. Tentative, well trained fingers reached up to grasp the front of Ushijima's red jacket, pulling him just a centimeter closer.

 

"What if I'm telling you not to respect my boundaries?"

 

Oikawa could almost _hear_ the alpha's resolve snapping like a violin string. That was all he needed to turn them both around and pin the shorter male to the supply room's door with a heavy growl. A hoarse gasp came from Oikawa’s lungs, the sensation of the alpha's hardness pressing between his legs resulting in a pulsing warmth spreading throughout his lower half, reaching up to flushed cheeks.

 

"If I fuck you against the door, no one will come in." Ushijima whispered in Oikawa's ear, hand still on his throat. It wasn’t a threat, merely a power play, his instincts demanding he dominate his mate.

 

"I thought you...were trying to give me space?" Asked Oikawa between heavy, high pitched breaths, his lips upturned in a deviant smile. Ushijima salivated once he picked up on the scent of wet slick leaking from his mate's hole.

 

Ushijima's scalding tongue bathed the shell of Oikawa's ear, "You are very good at getting me to go back on my word." Teeth nipped at the omega's ear, the sting drawing out a gasp. The bite wasn’t hard enough, the pressure on his neck not rough enough, Ushijima not giving him the edge he _needs_.

 

A sly spark appeared in the omega's eyes, a horrible idea, a _perfect_ idea, "I'm _very_ good at other things too."

 

Ushijima stiffened at the implication, his breath hitching, _just_ enough for Oikawa’s eyes to catch. Did Iwaizumi Hajime "teach" Oikawa about pleasuring an alpha? He knew he himself had been Oikawa's first and only mate, but it was well known that plenty of couples fooled around without going all the way. The image of his omega servicing another alpha in any way inspired such a rage inside of him that he wasn't sure what he would do if he had to see Iwaizumi Hajime again.

 

_No. He is yours now. And forever. It doesn't matter who else he paid attention to before._

 

The ace moved white teeth down to the Bond Mark he used to forever seal Oikawa to himself not long ago. Still raised and red, it had lost the angry purple bruising and vibrant teeth marks where his saliva seeped into the omega's blood, his scent forever changed to mix with Ushijima's earthy one. That would have to change. Teeth bit down onto his mate's neck, sucking viciously to revive the mark's purple hue, eliciting a sharp whine from Oikawa, punishing in method, as if reminding Oikawa exactly who he belonged to. His canines didn't drop since he wasn't in rut and Oikawa wasn't in heat, but that didn't stop Oikawa from letting out a pleased laugh at the pain.

 

"Ah hah...you're mad, aren't you, Ushiwaka-chan?" Oikawa panted and grit his teeth so hard his lip started bleeding. He licked his lip to taste, letting his hand grab at Ushijima's short hair, tugging with all his strength. _You deserve some pain after everything you've done to me and Iwa-chan._ "I can show you something to really make you mad at me."

 

So he was right. Ushijima's irrational alpha side stirred with jealous rage, which only made him even harder, grinding against Oikawa with such force that the setter's pretty legs were lifted slightly off the floor. With a growl, he pulled at his omega's tousled auburn locks and shoved him down until he hit the floor with a thud, landing on his knees with his back to the door. His powerful left hand tugged harshly on Oikawa's chin to pull his pretty face up at a painful angle, his omega’s eyelashes fluttering with the slightest hint of moisture from the abuse. Ushijima wiped a thumb against Oikawa's bloodied lip, spreading the saliva and blood mixture across the setter's lips to make a mess out of his omega. With the alpha having taken the advantage of balance, Oikawa's throat constricted with the difficult angle and convulsed. Ushijima noted how obviously hard his omega was and how much he was leaking through his shorts and onto the floor, even through the pain.

 

Or perhaps because of it.

 

"Fine." The alpha gave a predatory look down at Oikawa as he removed his bloodied thumb, using his hand to push his track pants down past his now throbbing erection. "Show me how shameless you can be, omega."

 

Oikawa trembled, exhaling an excited breath as he was now merely centimeters away from the red plum sized head of his alpha's thick manhood. This was the first time he had seen it up close; it jutted forward with arousal he could smell, precum dripping, so thick it's no wonder he was in pain after every time they mated, there was no way he could produce enough slick to comfortably accommodate Ushijima's huge length.

 

The alpha’s pupils blown out and absolutely _feral_ , Ushijima was clearly offering no promise that any of this encounter would be gentle, and Oikawa could feel the bruises on his knees forming already to join the ones on his arms. The ace’s stern voice interrupted Oikawa's anxious thoughts when he murmured his order, a demand that goes directly to the omega’s arousal.  

 

"Suck me."

 

Before Oikawa could bring his hand up to begin to stroke Ushijima, an unforgiving grip pulled at the back of his head, urging him forward. Moisture, and then solid hardness breached his wet lips, giving Oikawa barely any notice before his throat was promptly occupied. The wet heat of Oikawa’s throat spasmed around the thick head of Ushijima’s cock, making the alpha groan in pleasure, the hand holding the omega tightening and sending the fresh sting of pain down Oikawa’s neck. Ushijima felt a slick tongue darting around his shaft rapidly, as if trying to help the omega’s mouth adjust to the immediate thickness invading his throat. Oikawa felt and tasted even more precum leaking down his abused throat, forcing him to swallow around the unexpected liquid.

 

The hand around the omega’s head yanked him back, allowing him to inhale a desperate grasp, before plunging his mouth around the ace’s leaking member yet again. This time, Oikawa’s throat was caught mid-breath, causing his mouth to sputter, choking on the cock inside. Ushijima’s eyes were cold, unwavering, and anyone else would have assumed the alpha was bored, but not Oikawa--the setter felt the implication behind those eyes in his very core. He felt how hard they stared at the saliva and precum slipping out of his mouth with each calculated movement of Ushijima’s arm, watching liquid sticking to his face and dripping down onto the floor between Oikawa’s spread knees in a complete _mess_.

 

He should stop, leave, let Ushijima suffer by letting him get off by himself, but his omega senses were clouding his mind, demanding he satisfy his alpha, his  _mate._  Oikawa pulled his throat back to breathe, his inhale interrupted by the wet sound of all the fluids in his mouth, on his tongue, on his cheeks. This time, he resists against the pull of the hand on the back of his head, letting Ushijima’s soaked cock press against his cheek with bruising pressure.

 

Ushijima only says one word, a low whisper almost drowned out by the blood rushing through Oikawa’s head..

 

“Continue.”

 

Oikawa gave a laugh, or something that was intended to be a laugh, but mostly just came out as a slight cough. “Ushiwaka, we’re on campus, you know. I might get your clothes messy.”

 

Steel eyes stared back at him.

 

“ _Continue_.”

 

With that, he pushed Oikawa’s face on his cock with even more vigor, roughly fucking the omega’s wet mouth. Lewd sounds squelched out of Oikawa’s occupied mouth when he encountered the alpha’s dormant knot, bulge twitching on his tongue with each hollow of his cheeks.  Ushijima’s alpha senses delighted in the red swelling of his mate’s lips at the brutal treatment, incensing him further, his cock spurting more salty fluid with every lick to his swelling base, every twitch of Oikawa’s throat around the sensitive head. The setter’s auburn eyes watered around their rim, his mouth stuffed so full he could barely suck, his body responding to the wild alpha pheromones soaking the air around them and in his throat.

 

Oikawa reached an unoccupied hand back behind him, between the door and his slicked ass. Giving a hard suck at the length invading his mouth, he shoved two desperate fingers inside of his hole, anxious to relieve the thick pressure of arousal inside of him.

 

A desperate hand clawed at Ushijima’s thigh when Oikawa felt Ushijima’s knot begin to swell; most alphas could only fully knot after contact with an omega’s slick, but that didn’t mean the unfinished product wasn’t still a choking hazard. Ushijima’s gold eyes shone in the dim light of the storage room, hesitating, as if wanting to memorize this moment.

 

It wasn’t until Oikawa sunk his claws into Ushijima’s exposed hip bones did Ushijima finally yank the gasping omega off of his dick, a wet trail connecting his swollen cockhead and Oikawa’s bruised lips.

 

“Giving up already, omega?” Ushijima’s deep voice whispered a rare taunt.

 

_Ah yeah, he’s still mad. Good._

 

Despite the painful emptiness he felt, Oikawa mocked his alpha, “You just seemed like you were gonna shoot off too early, Ushiwaka-chan...I’m not really into premature eja-”

 

His cruelty was cut off as rough arms hoisted him up, his back flat against the cold door, head now eye level with the alpha. His shorts stuck to his thighs, and now he could feel the heat of Ushijima’s thick alphahood pressing against his own stiff member. His chest heaved with breath, trying to catch up on oxygen lost during his throat fucking. Ushijima shoved Oikawa’s shorts down his trembling legs, and Oikawa responded by kicking one leg out. The omega felt the stretch of both legs being yanked up towards his waist by toned arms as he was twisted against the door to accommodate Ushijima’s positioning.

Intense, dark eyes caught Oikawa’s own laughing gaze, Ushijima’s cock now at the omega’s too tight entrance.

 

“Ushiwaka-ch-”

 

At that moment, Ushijima drove _deep_ , spearing Oikawa against the door in one violent thrust, striking the omega’s prostate with punishing strength. Oikawa’s eyes bulged open, mouth lolling open limply as he just had to sit back and _take it,_ exactly like his body was meant to do. Slick leaked around the half-formed knot that was abruptly shoved inside his twitching rim. Ushijima took a pause, letting Oikawa feel his hardness throb inside of his ass. At this angle, Oikawa could feel every inch, every pulse of precum the alpha was leaking inside of him.

 

“Insulting me won’t make you feel any better.” Ushijima stated so infuriatingly simply, as if he wasn’t rearranging an omega’s organs with every movement.

 

Not waiting for Oikawa’s response, the alpha used his years of strength training to push himself inside of his mate with unforgiving force, already obscenely turned on by Oikawa’s mouth. His alpha hormones rose in his chest, the need to bond with his omega, the need to claim and be claimed. Deep thrusts rocked against Oikawa’s ass, his alpha’s hold unwavering. The setter’s prostate was pulsing with every push of Ushijima’s grinding hips, and his cock bounced between their bodies, rubbing on Ushijima’s hard stomach. This close, Oikawa could barely make out his features, but he had to laugh at the fact that this was the first time they’ve fucked face to face.

 

He could see the small beads of sweat, of arousal, hidden in Ushijima’s hairline, but it didn’t last long, due to Ushijima quickly burying his face against Oikawa’s scent gland. Oikawa felt a hot tongue press over his sensitive bond mark, the alpha inhaling as much of the omega’s pheromones as possible as he thoroughly fucked his omega into the door. Wet, breathy gasps escaped Oikawa’s mistreated throat. He felt the beginnings of his orgasm deep in his ass, to his straining cock. Ushijima’s grip stretched him in all the perfect ways, bruising and _cruel,_ just enough to make him see stars regardless of any pain, though he wasn’t sure his body knew the difference anymore.

 

_I really belong to him._

 

The moment his words completed in his head, his cock spurted come between their chests, Oikawa letting out a wail muffled by Ushijima’s broad shoulder. The alpha grunted, pressing himself as deep as he could go to let Oikawa ride out his orgasm, letting the omega clench long legs around his waist and buck his hips. Ushijima felt delirious at the mind numbing feeling of Oikawa’s tight ass squeezing his dick with intent, his knot beginning to swell. It wasn’t enough. The alpha needed more, he needed to fully bond with his mate.

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima's deep baritone calls out to Oikawa in the haze of his orgasm. He let his neck fall to the side, displaying his own alpha scent gland on his neck. Ushijima pressed it towards Oikawa’s wet teeth, squeezing Oikawa against the wall with brute force. “Mark me.”

 

“Do you want my mark, Ushiwaka?” Oikawa asked, a wide grin splayed across his face flushed with pleasure, his body weak from orgasm.

 

Ushijima paused to grind inside of Oikawa, who felt the alpha’s cock swell inside of him. A thick groan shuddered through his body, on the verge of turning into a purr.  

 

“Oh you liked that?” Oikawa managed what he could of a laugh, as much as he could with Ushijima spearing his insides in half.

 

Oikawa licked the alpha’s scent gland, and no doubt, it was intoxicating for the omega. He sucked and nipped at the bundle of nerves surrounding the scent gland, feeling Ushijima throb inside of his passage every time. Ushijima’s hands held onto Oikawa’s thighs with a rough grip, adding even more finger shaped bruises to the collection on his mate’s legs. He felt himself shudder, so close to orgasm, his knot almost too big to pull out. Oikawa’s insides fluttered around the leaking dick inside of him, pleasuring the alpha in the way only his mate can.

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima demanded, his strained voice breathing hot into Oikawa’s ear.

 

“ _No_.” The alpha barely heard Oikawa’s gleeful whisper.

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima pressed more urgently, anger welling up again, shoving his scent gland harder against his omega’s face. “ _Mark me._ ”

 

He was fucking into Oikawa with all of his fury, his alpha instincts recoiling at Oikawa’s defiance, his voice merely a hoarse murmur.

 

“Mark me, Oikawa-”

Oikawa grinned against the neck smothering him against the wall, inhaling in a mocking laugh.

 

“ _Never_.”

 

A frustrated growl erupted from Ushijima and he pulled out of Oikawa with a salacious squelch, letting the omega drop to his knees yet again. A hand pulled at the top of Oikawa’s sweaty hair, yanking his face up to Ushijima’s swollen, slick covered cock. Ushijima’s left hand went to his member, jerking quickly, squeezing at his burgeoning knot until it swelled to completion. Oikawa squeezed his eyes shut, cringing, but his alpha’s relentless grip kept his face poised in front of the red cock. Pleasure rocked through the alpha’s body, and Ushijima closed his eyes momentarily before coming, only opening them to watch as his come started to splatter on Oikawa’s already wet face. Oikawa felt hot, wet pulses of come across his nose, his lips, his cheeks, and even down on his knees. He could hear the alpha’s unsteady breath as he was ejaculated on, could feel the dangerous scent emanating in the storage room.

 

Once every last drop was milked out of his knot, Ushijima finally released his hold on Oikawa’s hair. His arousal had dissipated, but his fury was still there, spurred on by the satisfied grin his omega sported.

 

“Do you feel better, Ushiwaka-chan?”

 

 

 

“So then Kenma doesn’t even remember that he’s the new captain when the ref first called him up to shake hands at his first match, I wish I could have been there, fuck,” a messy haired middle blocker laughs in the middle of a crowded izakaya. Loud patrons in other rooms of the establishment indicated an almost full house, and the smell of small plates like yakitori wafted through the air. The dull thump of the bass from karaoke at the bar next door only added to the busy atmosphere.

Kuroo had invited Ushijima, Bokuto, and Asahi out for drinks, mostly because he could tell Ushijima was off during practice, and partly because he wanted Bokuto and Asahi to get to know his team’s wing spiker a bit better after he had been so antagonistic at the training camp.

 

“You know, Kuroo-san,” Asahi began, only on his first beer while the others were on their third (or fourth, in Bokuto’s case), “I thought you were with that setter of yours for the longest time.”

 

Kuroo’s eyes narrowed in confusion, then immediately shot open in disbelief. A hearty cackle erupted from him. “Kenma? Oh hell no,” the former Nekoma captain could barely contain himself. “Kenma’s an alpha. He presented fairly late so his scent is somewhat faint for now.”

 

Bokuto gaped at his fellow Tokyo native, “Wait what? Really? THAT’S AWESOME. No one suspects him! He should have a TV show called ‘The Secret Alpha’ where he’s the only detective that can go undercover with omegas and betas!”

 

Ushijima marveled at the former Fukurodani captain’s imagination, making a mental note to question Kuroo later if all Tokyo residents are this “eccentric”.

 

“Nah, you should see him when he thinks about an omega he likes,” noted Kuroo. “His scent gets downright vicious, even our other teammates didn’t like going near him.”

 

“He has an omega already?!” a nervous Asahi asked.

 

“Hahah, no, he just has a crush. I keep telling him to get over it, but he calls me a hypocrite. Something about ‘you’re not the only one that likes crows’ or something,” Kuroo’s sly gaze hovered over Asahi, who was processing what he meant. Ushijima raised an eyebrow.

 

Bokuto flagged down a waitress and while he was asking for another round for the table, Kuroo’s words seemed to have hit Asahi, who was bright red.

 

“Kozume-kun likes someone from my old team?” asked Asahi. “I-I mean, I mean I know you and Tsukishima-kun get along, but-”

 

“Don’t worry, he just finds that freak orange haired chibi-chan adorable, I think.” Kuroo patted the blushing Asahi on the back. “Besides, isn’t he already being courted by your former setter?”

 

Asahi sighed, leaning back on the cushion he was sitting on. His blush was all but faded and only the tinge from being a lightweight was left dusted on his face. “Yeah...I don’t think Hinata-kun knows it though. He is pretty oblivious. I haven’t seen everyone in a while but last I saw, Kageyama-kun was scenting him constantly. Almost to where me and the other alphas could barely make out Hinata-kun’s scent.” Asahi smiled, looking up to nowhere in particular. “I hope they eventually find happiness.”

 

A moved, teary-eyed Bokuto slapped Asahi on the back, almost making him choke, before loudly exclaiming, “Such a good senpai, even though you’re in university now! So honorable, so noble, so-”

 

“Bokuto-san, calm down,” Asahi attempted to ease the fellow wing spiker, laughing nervously.

 

Ushijima meanwhile was glad to see his fellow Sendai native was just as uncomfortable among such boisterous friendliness. He didn’t know what he’d do if he had to be on a team with Bokuto Kotarou, Kuroo was more than enough.

 

Kuroo took the chaos as a chance to ask Ushijima directly, “So now that you’ve found and claimed a mate, are you going to introduce him to your parents soon?”

 

“No.” Ushijima’s reply is curt.

 

“Oh? Are you ashamed of him? Oikawa’s a great catch,” Kuroo began, “Unless...let me see your neck?”

 

Ushijima’s powerful broad shoulders stiffened defensively.

 

“Ah, I get it. He hasn’t marked you back. I thought something like that might have happened when I found you two, but...” Kuroo sighed. Bokuto and Asahi had now turned their attention to their side of the table after noticing the change of mood.

 

“That’s dangerous, Wakatoshi-kun. Leaving him half-mated gives every alpha around him the signal that he needs an alpha to mark. I don’t care what you do but try and keep him safe, yeah?” Kuroo then continues in a darker voice full of warning that belies his alpha nature, “Don’t tell me you’re one of those alphas that mates omegas without letting them mark you so you can keep fucking around while they’re bound to you? That’s messed up.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The dark haired ace narrowed his eyes.

 

A slightly tipsy Bokuto chimes in, leaning in uncomfortably close to Ushijima. “Oh ho ho, you mean he doesn’t want to mark you back? You must have really pissed him off! My precious Akaashi is pretty tsundere too, maybe I’ll use your situation as a what not to do?”

 

Ushijima growls, the grip on his glass tightening. Asahi cuts him off before he can threaten the owl, “Leave him be, Bokuto-san. Oikawa-san just takes things at his own pace, right?”

 

Kuroo juts in in a mischievous voice, dark eyes leering, “Besides, you have another year before Akaashi can even join you in university. Alphas with a taste for bonded omegas aren’t unheard of, you know. He’s pretty defenseless without you there, isn’t he?”

 

Bokuto’s eyes widened in alarm, then turned down in self reflection. “Wait. That’s. No. Kuroo, you don’t _really_ think that could happen, do you?! I mean, yeah, he is _super_ pretty with long eyelashes and _super_ soft black hair and it’s just too cute how he just quietly says my name and,” Bokuto shoots up from the table, shaking the glasses everyone was nursing. Wild golden eyes dart around the room. “I HAVE TO GO. I need to make sure Akaashi is safe from any perverts! Asahi, I’ll race you to the station, the last train isn’t leaving for five minutes, GO!”

 

“B-Bokuto-san! Wait!” Asahi stutters, stumbling up from his seat, fumbling with the drink in his hands. He chases after his teammate and gives an apologetic look that suggests this isn’t a rare occurrence.

 

“Still just as easy as it was in high school. Stupid owl.” Kuroo laughs, then turns to Ushijima with the remnants of a laugh on his features. “You know, you and I both seem to enjoy tall omegas with an attitude problem, and I’m a really nice guy, so I’ll give you some advice. Oikawa is very proud. To make him want something, you have to convince him it was his idea first. To make him submit, you have to play by his rules just to show him how much of a bad idea it is. Let him realize how much he needs his alpha to guide him.”

 

Ushijima asked, “...And how do you suppose that will happen?”

 

“To be honest? He’ll probably realize a couple perks of having an alpha the second his next heat cycle starts.” Kuroo laughed. “But in all seriousness, you have to show him that you’re willing to be his partner, not his captor.”

 

The taller man nodded, quietly acknowledging Kuroo’s advice.  

 

“Now for my most important, urgent piece of direction I can give you.” Kuroo grabbed the ace’s broad shoulders and looked him dead in the eye, his face grim.

 

“Get Oikawa on birth control before his next heat. Don’t want to knock him up before Olympic scouts come by, right? We will need his abilities, Ushijima. The fate of Japan’s pride is dependent on this.”

 

Ushijima didn’t think he had ever been that close to punching a teammate.

 

“...I’m leaving. You coming back to the complex?”

 

“Go ahead. I gotta get Bokuto’s ID and credit card from the bar. Dumbass always leaves his shit when he runs off.”

 

 

 

Ushijima still thought of Kuroo's words, even when he had made it back to the sidewalk of the athletics housing complex. He knew he could make his setter happy, could make him scream in pleasure, could fulfill every single desire his flighty little heart has. But Oikawa's pride was always an annoyance for him, something he'd pressured the omega about since high school. Whatever was happening, at practice, at the store room, even in Oikawa's apartment...he didn't want that. He needed Oikawa's mark, his affection, his _devotion_. And he would crush anyone in his way of that.

 

At the stairs, he noted the presence of an alpha, almost unrecognizable in the darkness, save for his scent. He pressed on, scent becoming stronger, long strides as steady as ever. His alpha senses warned him, an undercurrent of hostility impregnating the night air near the stairs. That was when he picked up on the alpha's exact scent, the repulsive, infuriating scent that filled his insides with anger, the same one he'd experienced plenty of times in high school up until recently. 

 

The same one he'd experienced the night a particular alpha attempted to assault his mate.

 

"Iwaizumi Hajime."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to cut this chapter short on a cliffhanger so sue me
> 
> Kuroo once again being the Best and Doesnt Deserve Any Of This Bullshit2k16


	6. Potency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew this chapter took a while IM SORRY PLEASE DON'T KILL ME
> 
> also Iwa-chan fans, turn back. why are you here at this chapter, the previous chapters should have told you that i am not nice to iwa-chan even though i love him
> 
> this is actually a short chapter (only like 7k words) because I am splitting up a major event to next chapter whoops

In Oikawa’s apartment, the quiet buzz of the AC joined the rustle of blankets in the middle of the night. The omega’s clothes stuck dewy against his skin, the humidity casting a balmy sheen to his skin, keeping him from sleeping. A dull green pulse of light blinked throughout his room, and Oikawa’s tired eyes traveled to his dresser onto his phone. The green blinking light signaled a new message, one he must not have caught before dozing off. His body ached with the remnants of practice and his rough encounter with Ushijima in the storage room, causing him to stretch gingerly while rising from his bed.

 

Every bruise, every ache was a reminder of Ushijima’s touch, his scent, his _presence_ , almost as if the Bond Mark wasn’t enough to make sure Oikawa’s insides belonged to him. As much as he tried, Oikawa couldn’t forget a heated breath in his ear, full of frustration and urgency. The growl that demanded he give Ushijima his own Bond Mark of ownership, to seal their mateship. That encounter completely shook his preconceived narrative of Ushijima’s motives.

 

Oikawa had grown up with horror stories of cruel alphas who never took the mark of any omega they claimed, claiming as many as they could for selfish reasons. Alphas who forced their mates to bear pups every year without a break just as a status symbol to their virility. Alphas who abandoned omegas half mated, leaving them to become forever alone, destitute spinsters or prostitutes. He’d never thought of the possibility of becoming a victim of one due to his assumption that he’d be with Iwaizumi, but now he had to confront these fears. There’s no way all of this from Ushijima was an act; no alpha would go so far as to expose his scent gland to an omega he didn’t want claiming him. After all, receiving an omega’s Bond Mark was supposedly the only time an alpha would truly submit his vulnerability to anyone, regardless of nature. It was one of the few acts an alpha could never force an omega to commit. With all of this, was there still the possibility that Ushijima was still messing with him in some kind of twisted power play?

 

 _Nah_ , Oikawa pondered as he slunk over to his phone. _Ushiwaka doesn't have a manipulative bone in his body. That would require too many brain cells._

 

Insulting Ushijima didn't cure the omega’s uneasiness, just as he always infuriatingly pointed out.

 

Oikawa flipped open his phone, half expecting Kuroo to be bothering him for lecture notes.

 

The street lamp cast a shadow across Iwaizumi Hajime’s face, the darkness seeping into his expression in an eerie calm. Fists clenched in his pockets, his chin raising in feigned indifference as the black-haired alpha leaned against the railing leading up to the stairs of the athletics’ apartment complex. His body was stiff on the concrete under his feet, betraying his face, and his scent was even worse, infiltrating the air with an agitation familiar only to alphas.

 

The quiet of the night hour did nothing to dull the blood pounding in Ushijima’s head, the rush of memories flooding his eyes, memories of his Oikawa, his mate, trembling in fear of _this_ alpha. Blood on Oikawa’s ear, red clotted against auburn hair. Clothing torn, buttons scattered on the floor.

 

“You smell like booze.” Iwaizumi is the first to edge out his words, the tone flat, the accusation heavy between them.

 

“I’m not drunk.” Ushijima replies, broad shoulders stiffening in his light jacket.

 

Ushijima approaches first, closing the distance between them in a few steps, and Iwaizumi keeps his gaze fixated on the other alpha with every step. Now the taller alpha can see the whites in Iwaizumi’s intense dark eyes, and Ushijima notes the tense jaw clenched in restraint. Iwaizumi is no fledgling alpha, and Ushijima could see that he had trained his own body possibly as hard as Ushijima did his own. He doesn’t care; any other alpha is of no consequence to him in regards to safety. Ushijima could simply lunge at the other alpha, tear him to fucking pieces for his actions the other night, for daring to attempt to mount _his_ mate, and no one would blame him. He could rip him apart until Iwaizumi’s mother wouldn’t even recognize him, just to send a message.

 

He could.

 

But he doesn’t.

 

He _should_ hurt him. He should strike him down where he stands, make him regret ever knowing Oikawa Tooru. With his mate’s weak pleading echoing in his head, Ushijima remembered how desperately Oikawa’s cold fingers gripped him that night in the setter’s apartment. How their first voluntary touch out of heat came from Oikawa’s desire to keep _this_ alpha safe. How even after all of his offenses, Iwaizumi Hajime was still deemed worth protection from the omega. Disgusting.

 

"How dare you come here?” Ushijima stared deep into Iwaizumi’s eyes, looking down onto the shorter alpha. His palms hung down at his sides, his stance open in warning.

 

Seeing Ushijima in person hurt more than Iwaizumi would have liked to admit. Every crease in Ushijima’s body, every twitch of his muscle, every hard glare...Oikawa had experienced all of it. The teeth behind the hard line of Ushijima’s lips were the weapons that ravaged a Bond Mark onto Oikawa’s neck, puncturing deep in the omega scent gland. The fingertips that had undoubtedly opened up the setter’s body, held him, dominated him, felt pliant submission. _This_ alpha was the one who had knotted Oikawa in the throes of his heat, desecrating the years Iwaizumi had spent dedicating himself to his childhood friend, the years he’d loved him. Just seeing the knowing glare in Ushijima’s eyes made Iwaizumi want to vomit. Every inch of Ushijima’s solid body represented everything Iwaizumi had lost, and just how explicitly he lost it.

 

“I came to see Tooru.” Iwaizumi’s answer was simple, intentional. He felt a jolt of sick pleasure watching Ushijima’s brow crease at the use of Oikawa’s first name by another alpha.

 

"I won't permit you to see my mate." Ushijima stated with no hesitation, deliberately digging into the other alpha. “You're a rapist.”

 

Iwaizumi’s breath hitched, fury and guilt forming the edges of his expression. So Ushijima knew what happened the other night; of course, he had to have known. Since that night, he’d been a fucking wreck--he couldn’t sleep, his dreams flashed images of his rut, his ears echoed Oikawa’s fearful voice, the same voice he could barely even remember hearing such affection in during their phone call at the training camp. He fucked everything up almost as much as anyone else involved in this shit show, and no one knew that better than him.

 

His guilt didn’t stop him from throwing anything back in Ushijima’s face, though.

 

"That's rich, coming from _you_ , who clearly only took advantage of his heat. I’ve seen how he acts towards you. You don't have his mark." Iwaizumi guessed, hoping he’d hit his mark. Regardless of his own actions, Ushijima was far from innocent, and Iwaizumi wasn’t strong enough to leave him be without injecting his own kind of pain.

 

"He has mine.” Iwaizumi cringed at the reminder as if he was physically struck while Ushijima continued. “You failed him. Either stay away, or watch me give him everything you never did.”

 

"But he's not happy with you, is he?" Iwaizumi cut in, his voice just above a whisper.           

 

Iwaizumi almost didn’t catch the clenching of Ushijima’s jaw, the dark shroud clouding his golden eyes.

 

"He will be." The reply was curt, uttered in restraint from Ushijima.

 

"You're as arrogant as ever." Iwaizumi almost laughed at Ushijima’s cluelessness. _You don't understand him like I do._ “He needs me.”

 

Ushijima didn’t care to be insulted, especially not by this competitor-turned-attempted-rapist. The wing spiker wasn’t cruel by choice, but this was what he would call an _extenuating circumstance_. His head tilted upwards in inquisition, partially out of genuine curiosity. But mostly sadism. If Iwaizumi Hajime wanted to provoke him, he could very much oblige. If Oikawa wouldn’t let him physically harm Iwaizumi, there were other methods to ensure the other alpha never approached Ushijima’s mate again.

 

"Are you really going to stick around?" Ushijima began, his deep voice stony and unwavering, like gravel blown by the wind. He closed their gap to where his scent was overpowering Iwaizumi’s own, the street lamp illuminating them both. "You're really going to linger around like a lost puppy? Watch me bring him to the Olympics as my setter? Watch me give him everyth-"

 

"You'll never make him happy." Iwaizumi interrupted, his words faltering slightly. Almost as if he was trying to convince himself.

 

He merely continued, as if Iwaizumi’s words held no value. And to him, they didn’t, really. "Are you going to stand by his side after I've impregnated him? Are you sure you'd be able to watch him bear my-"

 

Ushijima expected a reaction, and probably should have expected what came next, though he almost didn’t see the fist launching towards his face, almost failing to react in time. He responded almost on reflex, bringing his forearm to Iwaizumi’s to dispel the momentum and push Iwaizumi’s frame to the side. A disparaged grunt came from the shorter alpha’s throat, his body recovering quickly from the rebuttal, clearly guided by a mind that wasn’t thinking straight. The concrete under Iwaizumi’s shoes scratched with friction as he swung back around in raw fury. Ushijima took a solid knee to the chest in order to access Iwaizumi’s core, and bruising fingers gripped the other alpha’s shoulder in a punishing grasp. Iwaizumi felt himself thrown down onto the ground, Ushijima’s thick weight pushing against his back, sidewalk stinging his cheek. Iwaizumi was still acting purely on instinct.

 

Iwaizumi doesn't want to resort to violence, he doesn't want to lash out and create even more problems for his former setter. He doesn't want to expose such pathetic weakness to Ushijima of all people, who already had what he wanted, who was so clearly and deliberately trying to rile him up. But the idea of Oikawa, body thickened with pregnancy, full of pups that weren't _his_ , pulled at Iwaizumi's still raw grief, overtaking the former ace's body in an uncontrollable burst of irrationality.

 

 _What are you doing, Hajime?_ The voice inside Iwaizumi tortured him. _This alpha wants to have_ your _mate bear his litter. He’ll succeed too, if you don’t get the fuck up._

 

_Fucking weak._

 

_Just like you’ve always been._

 

A growl of effort escaped Iwaizumi’s throat, reverberating against cold sidewalk. Bringing a sharp elbow back, he felt it come in contact with the hard tissue of Ushijima’s torso, making the larger alpha lose his balance for a sliver of a second, but that was all that was needed. He flipped their positions, no small feat, and brought both hands to Ushijima’s neck, relishing in the feeling of this poacher’s Adam’s apple against his palms. Ushijima now laid on the concrete, his own lip bleeding from a wound Iwaizumi wasn’t sure he knew the origin of, yet the larger alpha looked so irritatingly unaffected Iwaizumi thought he should bite down and rip out the smug alpha’s throat himself.

 

Ushijima felt thick thumbs digging into his neck, but his eyes remained mockingly observant.  

 

“Did you use this strength to hold Oikawa down?” Ushijima asked without mirth, barely audible from the constriction on his vocal chords.

 

“Shut up.” Iwaizumi groaned, not even noticing the crushing grip Ushijima had on his wrists. Ushijima noted the heat of rage coming from the other alpha’s digits around his neck. Iwaizumi’s eyes were blown out in something akin to desperation, madness. Moisture glistened in Iwaizumi’s red lined eyes above Ushijima and threatened to fall down his scrunched face, dark orbs staring down with a hatred the larger alpha had rarely seen. Blood dripped into the angry lines on Iwaizumi’s face, coming from the scrape he must have received when Ushijima slammed him down onto the concrete.

 

“...He will never be yours.”

 

“Shut up _,_ shut up _shut UP-_ ” repetitive demands edged out of Iwaizumi’s clenched teeth.

 

Ushijima dug his fingers into Iwaizumi’s wrists and tore them away from his neck in a brutal, fluid motion. He could only tolerate so much before reacting, Oikawa’s wishes be damned. Ushijima silently brought his left hand to the back to Iwaizumi’s defenseless neck, grabbing at his scruff.  His eyes were unfeeling, cruel, when he dragged the struggling alpha back towards the metal guard rail on the stairs, a _great_ idea in mind. Iwaizumi’s heels dragged the ground uselessly against Ushijima’s strength; he was trained, had trained for _years_ , but yet again...he didn’t measure up.

 

"You're useless to him now, Iwaizumi Hajime.” Ushijima launched Iwaizumi’s body in front of his own, positioning the shorter alpha to a kneeling position on the stairs, eye level with the railing. “Accept that.”

 

“F...fuck you,” Iwaizumi wheezed out, still struggling against Ushijima’s placement. “I fucking loved him, asshole.”

 

Ushijima responded with a knee to Iwaizumi’s back, sending raw pain surging up Iwaizumi’s spine and eliciting a frustrated choke.

 

“That’s inconsequential.”

 

With that, Ushijima’s hand clenched with even more force on the back of Iwaizumi’s neck, holding his position of balance over the other alpha. He eyed the metal railing with intent, calculating how sturdy the structure was, and whether or not it would bend easily. This was a means to an end. Ushijima yanked Iwaizumi’s head back, preparing to fully use the railing to maximum potential. Iwaizumi realized at that moment exactly what the projected trajectory of his face was, and kicked his legs under him in an attempt at escape, but Ushijima’s grip was unyielding. His fist retracted with Iwaizumi’s neck in tow, preparing to swing forward.

 

A hand grabbed at his wound up shoulder pulled taut, accompanied with a strangled yelp of distress. Ushijima’s eyes widened, his other hand swinging back violently at the unexpected interruption. He felt the back of his hand strike pliant flesh, most likely a cheek and a jaw, then saw a blur from the corner of his eyes land on the concrete with a rough thud. His grip on Iwaizumi faltered. Ushijima turned in silent rage, raising his left hand to prepare for an interceptor, his own alpha senses chipping away at his logic.

 

“Fuck,” the blur on the concrete cursed, and Ushijima’s eyes narrowed back into focus as his senses returned. Oikawa’s brown eyes were staring back at him with contempt and pain. His clothes were slightly disheveled, clearly having been thrown on in a hurry, and now dirtied by the ground. If his body didn’t hurt before, it sure did now. Blood dripped down from a pink lip, his red cheek showing the signs of beginning to swell. The scent of an upset omega permeated the air.

 

“Oikawa-” Ushijima growled, his veins chilling in horror upon the realization that he’d actually struck his _mate_. The warmth on the back of his hand froze over, his mind trying to figure out why he would be here. He knew Oikawa was usually retired to bed by this time according to his observations, did he really come out to meet this other alpha behind his back? Even after all of this, Oikawa would dare-

 

“What the hell were you doing, Ushiwaka?” Oikawa spat venom at Ushijima, bringing a hand up to his cheek. His eyes were full of fire, dark auburn staring up into gold.

 

Ushijima didn’t even have a chance to reply when he felt pain graze the edge his jaw, and a crack. He’d managed to avoid the brunt of it by sheer reflex, but Iwaizumi’s fist had still come in contact with bone during the rare moment of distraction.

 

“This your fucking fault,” Iwaizumi accused with rage in his eyes, and Ushijima then realized he wasn’t the only alpha incensed by seeing his mate struck. Oikawa bleeding was only a small fraction of Iwaizumi’s grievances, and Ushijima deducted that this outburst was seemingly the result of Iwaizumi realizing that he no longer had any right to protect Oikawa. Ushijima had stolen that from him, as clear as the Bond Mark on Oikawa’s neck.     

 

“Shit, Iwaizumi-kun,” a drawl interrupted the three men from the darkness. “I fucking told you to stay away from Ushijima-kun.” Both Ushijima and Iwaizumi bristled instinctively as Kuroo’s concerned face appeared from the shadows near the walkway, the messy-haired alpha seemingly being able to sneak up unnoticed due to the overpowering presence of two alphas in conflict over a mate. His loose stance portrayed a carefree approach, but his eyes and scent belied the true, ominous threat of his presence. Disappointment shadowed Kuroo’s dark eyes when he noted the faint scent and sight of Oikawa’s blood.    

 

“Kuroo-chan-” began Oikawa, thankful for the intervention. His omega senses could read both alphas’ intentions, and it had run a chill up his spine when he first witnessed Iwaizumi poised above thick metal with Ushijima’s thick grasp preparing for something _horrible_. There was no way he’d be able to intervene all on his own. He recalled the bloody face of that Hokkaido captain, the beating he’d received for merely threatening Oikawa, even before they’d been mated; the omega shuddered to imagine what Ushijima was capable of doing to an alpha that had actually laid hands on his mate.

 

“They don’t pay me enough to wrangle you, Ushijima-kun,” stated Kuroo, his signature nonchalance absent. Oikawa had heard this tone before, when he’d deliberately teased their team captain. “You weren’t thinking of bashing this guy’s face in, were you? That would come with _very_ serious consequences.”

 

Ushijima turned away, refusing to acknowledge any guilt in regards to his intentions. Gently he made his way towards Oikawa, who was still on the ground.

 

“I’m sorry,” apologized Ushijima with sincerity, nerves casting heavy concern in his features. Ushijima reached out his hand to graze Oikawa’s hurt cheek, the hand then traveling upwards to brush auburn bangs out of the omega’s face.

 

Oikawa’s omega instincts were hit with an unfamiliar and overwhelming wave of anxiety that tugged at his Bond Mark, a deep, guttural reaction upon seeing his alpha stressed. His breath hitched, pain all but fading from his face, replaced with confusion and worry.  

 

Before Oikawa could make sense within himself and his inconvenient hormonal reactions, Kuroo interrupted the heavy air.

 

Kuroo’s eyes hovered on the crouching Ushijima, who only returned the slightest of glances, unwilling to take his attention away from the setter. " _You._ You're an idiot."

 

The middle blocker’s next target was Iwaizumi, "You're an even bigger idiot, so shut up." _I told you not to do this._

 

Before Iwaizumi could reply in defense even he wasn’t quite sure he deserved, Kuroo had turned back to Ushijima and Oikawa, "And I don't even care what _your_ deal is, Oikawa. Is your slick made of gold or something?"

 

Sounds of consternation and defensive growls escaped both Ushijima and Iwaizumi, the scent around them partially regaining some of the previously dissipated hostility. Kuroo merely stared them both down, refusing to back off, putting his body between an agitated Iwaizumi and the pair of his teammates on the ground.

 

"If you want campus security to find you guys all scuffed up and bloody in the morning and be forced out of the top school in the nation in disgrace, be my guest,” Kuroo continued in a deadly tone that implied no debate, the same voice he’d use against unruly alpha teammates he’d had in the past. “...Otherwise, shut the hell up and get back to your rooms. Or caves, rather, since that's where you guys are acting like you belong."

 

"Kuroo-" Ushijima began urgently.

 

"Ushijima." Kuroo’s expression softened to pity when he cut the ace off, pleading that he wouldn’t have to state the obvious and humiliate his teammate in front of Iwaizumi. _You won't get what you want like this._

 

Oikawa noticed Ushijima faltering, noticed the tremors in broad shoulders, the grit in his white teeth, even the way his jaw tightened up in restraint. The setter could feel the anxiety, the uneasiness radiating from the alpha in front of him. The sensation became too overpowering, shrouding Oikawa’s thought of who even sent the text message to summon him down to this scene. He saw the smallest movement of Ushijima’s thick, dark brows furrowing in worry, his own body picking up on the biological signals his alpha was putting out, putting out towards _him_ , his _mate_. Neediness propelled his hand forward, onto Ushijima’s shirt, before he grasped it with a grip full of intention. A thick, gut wrenching shiver shot up his kneeling body in a flash, his body having come to the correct conclusion even if his mind was still trying to put the pieces together.

 

Suddenly a deep, almost too quiet to hear sound came from Oikawa’s chest, traveling up to escape from his throat. Silence claimed all alphas present at the barely audible noise, ears perking to catch something important, something instinctual on a base level. Another, buzzing, repetitive murmur caught in Oikawa’s pale throat, the vibrations radiating through his chest, down his arm, and to Ushijima’s chest. Ushijima’s gold eyes widened, his attention intently focused on the omega in front of him, expression full of hunger and expectancy at what he hoped was happening. Red-brown eyes were half lidded when the omega’s throat finally appeared to have gained proper momentum, his body involuntarily responding to his alpha in distress.

 

Oikawa was purring. For Ushijima. His omega senses had designated this alpha as needing comfort, his base urges demanding that Oikawa take care of Ushijima.

 

And not anyone else.

 

Iwaizumi stood shocked, barely even able to process his fury, barely able to keep on his own feet as the voice in his head started rapidly rambling yet again. Oikawa had never once purred for him, never even _tried_ . His mind flashed images of their last soul crushing game with Karasuno, where all Oikawa even offered was a pat on the back as consolation, as platonic as he’d probably ever offered anyone else. Oikawa Tooru had _never_ displayed this type of submission to him, probably never even considered that maybe the alpha wanted it from him. Iwaizumi had assumed Oikawa simply didn’t, or _couldn’t_ purr, and never wanted to shame the omega for not doing this for him. Iwaizumi had assumed many things, apparently.

 

Maybe Oikawa didn’t even see him as an actual alpha.  

 

Kuroo’s sharp senses immediately picked up on how quick Iwaizumi Hajime’s temper was rising, and rushed into action. He lifted his large hands and shifted his neck in front of the other alpha, allowing Iwaizumi to glimpse his scent gland, a voluntary display of trust to ensure that he wasn’t a threat.

 

“Iwaizumi-kun,” Kuroo addressed him cautiously, “This-”

 

“No.” Iwaizumi’s shoulders fell, backing away from the three in front of him. They were all so damn happy, weren’t they, the three of them. Oikawa fucking _purring_ for Ushijima of all people was just a symptom of the root cause; he wasn’t good enough for Oikawa. He never was. He wasn’t scouted for a national team like they were, and Ushijima was right. He’d simply followed Oikawa like a lost puppy, not even considering if he was holding Oikawa back, always assuming he was needed. This was disgusting, almost making him wretch in his mouth; the last thing he needed after almost having his face bashed in was his desired mate all over Ushijima.

 

_Fuck this._

 

Iwaizumi shoved Kuroo’s outstretched hands away from him, his gaze staring daggers into the ground, as if it was the only direction he could point his thoughts in that wouldn’t fucking rip his heart out again and again. Without even giving a glance back, he left, footsteps echoing, the subtle, almost undetectable shaking in his shoulders outlined in the shadows falling on the sidewalk.    

 

But Oikawa saw.

 

Before he can cry out, to beg and plead for Iwaizumi not to leave, not like _this_ , thick arms wrapped around his torso, pressing his face against the solid warmth of Ushijima’s shoulder. His nose scrunched against the rough fabric of Ushijima’s jacket, his mouth open in a soundless wail of frustration as he felt the presence of his childhood friend fade away into the darkness.

 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima tone was quiet yet brimming with hushed excitement, like ice over running water. No matter what Oikawa’s words claimed, his body had reacted to _him_ , outside of heat. Oikawa may have arrived at these stairs to meet with Iwaizumi Hajime, but it was in his arms that Oikawa began purring, demonstrating a base instinct to care for his alpha.

 

Oikawa’s mind was still hazy, his distress still an aching pain in the back of his thoughts. Ushijima’s pleased grin only fueled his embarrassment. No wonder his best friend stormed off, Oikawa had just as good as told him to leave, humiliating Iwaizumi in the worst fashion... Yet, shame was slowly being ebbed away by something more prevalent, something satisfying, congratulating him for comforting his stressed alpha. His instincts felt oddly placated, their hunger staved off temporarily by his display of submission in the face of another alpha.

 

Oikawa wants to claw out his selfish omega senses himself. Instead, he chooses to grip Ushijima harder. At this point, he can no longer blame Ushijima for all of these events; his own body and mind were accepting this ace. It absolutely terrified the setter, the realization that his mind had completely cast Iwaizumi aside to focus on Ushijima, so much so that he couldn’t even remember at the time why he’d even come down to the front of the building in the first place.

 

It was if his instincts were trying to erase Iwaizumi from his memory, due to Iwaizumi’s status as an obstacle to his mateship. He wanted to vomit at that thought.

 

At the same time, he knew why Ushijima had reacted so violently to Iwaizumi. He’d heard news stories of alphas being acquitted of assault or murder after coming into contact with another alpha that had attempted to breed their omega, or worse, _succeeded_.   

 

“Alright kids,” Kuroo’s exhausted voice heralded from a safe distance away from the volatile couple, his hand running through scattered locks. “It’s past your bedtime. And more importantly, mine.”

 

Ushijima agreed, his mate had already lost out on too much sleep. He pulled up his mate with strong arms, letting Oikawa lean against him, auburn hair ruffling against a hard shoulder.

 

 _Whatever. This is easy, for now._ Oikawa simply let himself be guided, lets Ushijima have his proud, smug moment. After all, it wasn’t like the alpha was incorrect about his perception of events.

 

“I’m going to bring him to my room.” Ushijima stated, as obviously as if he’d been speaking about how little daylight there was in the sky at the moment. Kuroo didn’t challenge him, instead choosing to give a shrug, his shoulders sagging with exhaustion.

 

Ushijima’s apartment is simple, clean, almost appearing not lived in with how sterile it was. As minimalist as it was, Oikawa still felt a hint of suffocation in his chest the moment he’d stepped over the threshold. Maybe it was the disorienting sensation that almost felt like nostalgia, as if this was his _den_. Or perhaps it was the scent; the hearty, minty aroma that soaked into his lungs with every continuing breath inside the alpha’s apartment. Oikawa noted the textbooks piled neatly on a coffee table, the protein powder on the kitchen counter. A picture of what Oikawa assumed to be his family on a dresser.

 

Once Ushijima had gotten Oikawa to his room, he gently guided the setter to his bed. He grabbed a bottle of antiseptic from his bathroom, along with a few cotton balls to treat Oikawa’s injury. The setter was surprisingly receptive in Ushijima’s gentle touch, if not a bit quiet, but it was no matter. At this point, any moment Oikawa isn’t complaining is a moment well spent. In reality, Oikawa’s guilt was keeping him silent, unable to meet the wing spiker’s gaze. What a joke he was, trying to save Iwaizumi and subsequently involuntarily purring for Ushijima, how _humiliating_. Still, his body responded with a flutter of heat every time Ushijima’s rough fingers grazed his skin, igniting with the most satisfying of warmth inside of his chest.

 

Oikawa couldn’t in good faith be furious at Ushijima anymore; after all, he was doing what almost any other alpha would do to protect his omega. Worse yet, he couldn’t even blame their mating on Ushijima’s alpha pheromones, his heat, or even expired suppressants, that much was painfully apparent. Once he’d started purring, he finally realized what his body had been doing in response to Ushijima’s overwhelming presence, how it had already recognized Ushijima as his alpha. Perhaps why Ushijima had responded so eagerly to him in heat. Why Oikawa’s senses were so damn receptive to this particular alpha.  

 

Oikawa himself had been subconsciously scent marking Ushijima. Maybe even as early as the training camp.

 

Possibly earlier.

 

He wasn’t sure if the alpha himself even knew. He sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him himself. Oikawa simply let the cool antiseptic seep into his wounds, trying to focus on the stinging pain, anything but the ball of guilt swelled in his throat. Iwaizumi didn’t deserve this, even if he had lost himself in rut. Oikawa couldn’t help but linger on the look on his best friend’s face, the red in his eyes that were lined in the dark circles of exhaustion, the disappointment so plainly written on his expression. Oikawa _knew_ Iwaizumi, possibly better than anyone, even though he no longer had that right. The setter knew that Iwaizumi was torturing himself over this.

 

“I need your keys,” Ushijima interrupted his omega’s mental ramblings, squeezing his mate’s hand just tight enough to tell Oikawa he could tell who he was thinking of. While he was clearly asking to be able to get Oikawa’s clothes and things from his apartment, his tone begged no argument; Oikawa knew where he was staying tonight. Oikawa reached in the pocket of his track pants, bottoms he’d hastily put on to meet Iwaizumi in, and found his keys.

 

His resignation troubled Ushijima as much as his alpha instincts commended him for inspiring his mate to follow his order, even at such a simple request. He felt little satisfaction; he knew Oikawa, knew the fire in his eyes. Fire he’d spent many tournaments and matches watching Oikawa send towards that damned Iwaizumi Hajime. He’d never wanted to extinguish it, merely redirect and amplify, but this was taking more social delicacy than he’d learned. Clenching Oikawa’s keys in his right hand, hard enough to feel the teeth dig into calloused palms, Ushijima asked a question he wasn’t quite sure he wanted the answer to.

 

“Are you afraid of me?” Ushijima’s voice was a quiet rumble in his chest, barely reaching up to Oikawa’s ears.

 

“Afraid?” Oikawa’s tired expression turned almost indignant, stubborn lines half forming on his delicate features in the half darkness of the bedroom. In an instant, his face softened with the smallest hint of self pity, shoulders trembling in a hollow chuckle. “Is that how little you think of me, Ushiwaka?”

 

Oikawa noticed the subtle glint of relief that relaxed Ushijima’s eyes.

 

“I don’t want you to hate me.”

 

The setter shifted his auburn eyes away, choosing instead to focus on threading his fingers through the comforter under his weight on Ushijima’s bed.

  


Outside of Ushijima’s apartment, the door clicked as the wing spiker quietly exited his apartment. Ushijima’s shoulder immediately stiffened at the presence of another alpha in the hallway. The blue-white light of fluorescent bulbs illuminated Kuroo’s leaning figure, his lower back resting against the wall beside Ushijima’s apartment.

 

Ushijima cocked his head before inquiring, “I thought it was your bedtime, Kuroo.”

 

Kuroo let a small smile slip, his hands twirling in his pockets. _So he_ can _make jokes_ , Kuroo noted. “Ushijima, if I have to clean up one more mess of yours, I'm sending you an invoice.”

 

“It's not my fault you have...odd timing.” The other alpha’s shoulders shrugged, the events of the day taking a toll even on his powerful endurance.

 

“No, but it's your fault you can't control yourself. Besides, you’re lucky I was the only alpha that could pick up on the scent you guys were emitting,” Kuroo pointed out in the same matter-of-fact tone he always seems to have. “You know you're never going to get what you want by force.You need to keep your head cool, or he’s just going to resent you.” _Trust me, I’d know more than anyone._

 

“You know you're the first alpha I've ever allowed to give me advice?” Ushijima replied, choosing to look down to the stairs at the end of the hallway rather than meet Kuroo’s curious, peering eyes. Somehow Kuroo was too perceptive, almost nosy.

 

No, definitely nosy.

 

The middle blocker laughed, heavy shoulders lifting with his humor, “Maybe I'll eventually be the first alpha whose advice you actually listen to.”

 

Once Ushijima had vacated his field of vision, Kuroo dug his hand out of his pocket, thumbing over the hard surface of his phone. He’d debated whether or not he should do this; after all, he was probably being a hypocrite by not following his own advice. Nevertheless, he swiped down onto a particular contact in his phone. Opening his texts, Kuroo’s fingers tentatively moved across the keys.

 

_“Are you still mad at me?”_

 

 

Eventually, Oikawa heard what he assumed was the front door click open, then shut again. He assumed it wouldn’t have taken long for Ushijima to return with his things; after all, he was only one floor up from Ushijima’s apartment. Alphas and omegas were on separate floors with betas scattered throughout on the omega floors, since they were mostly unaffected by the scent of heat or rut, and betas and alphas outnumbered omegas in the athletic department. While he’d never before been in this particular apartment before this night, Oikawa knew Kuroo lived on this floor, so it wasn’t surprising that Ushijima was stationed on the same floor.

 

Ushijima’s tall figure appeared in the doorway empty handed, lamp light placing shadows on his defined jawline. He leaned against the doorway, forearms folded across his chest. “I placed your things in the bathroom. We don’t have practice tomorrow so I left your gym bag.” He decided not to tell Oikawa that he’d contemplated not grabbing a shirt and forcing Oikawa to borrow a shirt of his to wear tomorrow.

Oikawa knew what had to be coming next, now that they were alone and interrupted. At least, his instincts had an idea. An alpha that had just engaged in a physical confrontation over his mate was bound to be pent up, aroused almost to the point of aggression. It wasn’t unheard of for particularly barbaric alphas to mount their mate even near a slain would-be mate poacher hundreds of years ago. Just the scent of a prospective poacher was often more than enough to prompt agitation, possibly even triggering a rut from more unhinged alphas.

 

“Go ahead.” Oikawa stated with resignation. He leaned back on the bed flat on his back and eyed Ushijima with an almost lazy stare, spreading his knees ever so slightly. He almost wondered who was on the other side of the wall next to the bed; he knew these walls were scent proof, but who knows about sound proof.

 

Ushijima cocked an eyebrow from the doorway, “What are you talking about?”

 

The setter let out a shrug, “You know what I mean. You invited me to stay the night, didn’t you?” _Or rather, ordered me._

 

“Yes.” Ushijima replied, his voice low and deep, but softened with a hint of rare humor. He approached the bedside and sat next to Oikawa’s spread out body. “But you’ve done enough tonight. You need rest.”

 

This time Oikawa laughed, turning away from Ushijima to curl on his side and face the wall. How pathetic, pretending to be some kind of gentle giant when the mark on Oikawa’s cheek hadn’t even started to think about healing. While the image of a bruised Iwaizumi in distress still lingered in his thoughts. While he still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that he’d played just as big of a part in this as Ushijima did.

 

Not that he’d ever tell Ushijima that, though. Ever.

 

“Are you sure?” Oikawa began, his voice fighting not to crack. His grief and guilt were starting to well up again, hot and wet in his throat, so much so that he couldn’t hide the tremble of his shoulders from Ushijima. “Am I not a good fuck anymore? Want me to suck you off first, or-”

 

“Oikawa.”

 

Oikawa felt the side of the bed behind his back sink with the weight of the wing spiker, saw the shadow cast darkness against the wall in front of his eyes. Ushijima leaned over his setter, and the omega could feel the heat in their proximity. A large hand traveled up his arm and to his shoulder, gripping Oikawa with a slight touch, almost too soft to be felt through Oikawa’s sleeve. Ushijima’s voice murmured into Oikawa’s ear, breath bristling auburn locks on the back of the setter’s neck.

 

“Don’t ask me to hurt you anymore.” Ushijima's statement wasn't a request, nor a suggestion. 

 

He didn’t want it to affect him. Oikawa really really fucking didn’t. It was damn sad, not only did he not know himself anywhere near as well as he thought, but now Ushijima seemed to understand his own motives better than he did. It didn’t help that he had no issue throwing it his face. His heart felt as if it was already laid bare and any attempts he could use to try and manipulate Ushijima would just be pathetic.

 

"Oikawa, I won't ask you to mark me back until you're ready." Ushijima’s hand traveled up to his mate's hair on his forehead, brushing it out of downward turned eyes. "But for now, just stay with me. Tonight." _Don’t think about him._

 

Oikawa didn’t deserve such gentleness, not after so blatantly tossing away the only healthy relationship he’d ever had. Just the thought of not being able to depend on Iwaizumi any longer, to seek comfort in those black eyes that he’d always assumed would know his first everything, the same eyes that knew exactly when he needed an insult, and when he needed to be brought up. He didn't deserve even Ushijima's forced kindness, not after being so careless as to not even notice his own body scent marking Ushijima, marking the alpha with pheromones that should have been reserved for Iwaizumi. There were many things that should have been for Iwaizumi.

 

But maybe this wasn’t so bad, the voice in Oikawa said. Ushijima’s touch was warm, familiar, just like his bed, despite the fact that this was the first time he’d been in this apartment, much less the bed. His Bond Mark pulsed with comfort, sending fluttering waves of hormones through his body. Sleep was imminent, omega senses allowing him to feel safer than he'd ever felt now that he was alone in his alpha's territory. He had to decide to accept this new alpha's warmth, from an alpha he was already permanently bound to, or try and salvage what he could from the comfort of his childhood friend who he'd always assumed to be his soul mate. Before he nodded off to sleep, Oikawa used his last coherent thought to promise to himself.

 

He was going to have to see Iwaizumi alone, no matter his decision. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I broke this up to two chapters because I have some important events planned with Iwaizumi and I didn't feel like I could put it in this chapter because it would have been too long 
> 
> SORRY AT LEAST I DIDNT ACTUALLY BASH IWAIZUMIS FACE IN 
> 
> it was so hard to write this because Ushijima is NOT that kind of guy but man, alpha hormones are one hell of a drug
> 
> also sorry no smut this chapter BUT OH HO HO I HAVE SO MUCH PLANNED 
> 
> gonna introduce BokuAka and KuroTsuki next chapter more too~


	7. Lunacy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLLLLYYY SHIT its been a while -sweating nervously-  
> Okay so I had the outline for this entire fic sitting in my docs forever but I’m sorry ;-;
> 
> Basically this summer has been insane for me. I got engaged! So I’ve been in wedding planning hell and I super don’t recommend it for anyone. It should be considered a separate circle of hell.
> 
> WITH THAT SAID thank you so sosososos sososoooooo much for the encouraging comments/kudos/bookmarks! I read them all T_T 
> 
> Enjoy~

 

Days turned into nights, and Oikawa’s phone stayed silent.

 

It had been a month since Iwaizumi and Ushijima’s unceremonious confrontation. Oikawa had considered calling Iwaizumi. Maybe just texting him. Anything to reach out to Iwaizumi and beg and plead and perhaps even grovel for forgiveness he knew he didn’t deserve. He hadn’t seen Iwaizumi on campus, or even in the window of the classroom he knew Iwaizumi took every Thursday. It was as if he’d vanished, leaving only the hollow feeling of loss.

 

Oikawa couldn’t even protest when the residence office assigned him to Ushijima’s--his rightful alpha’s--apartment in the athletics complex. After this, and seeing Oikawa purr for him, Ushijima seemed to have calmed down with his possessive instincts as well as his demands for a Bond Mark. It almost made Oikawa sick, with how smug the alpha seemed, as if he was sure the omega was merely having a fit and would come around. Now, even flirting with their captain didn’t have much of an effect on the alpha; patience suddenly seemed to become Ushijima’s greatest and worst virtue.

 

That didn’t mean they didn’t fuck. In spite of Ushijima’s frustrating patience, Oikawa still responded to his hormonal urges. Being in such close quarters of an alpha-- _his_ alpha--was enough to make even the strongest of omega submit to instinct, and Oikawa was no exception, but that didn’t make it any easier. Being around Ushijima was never easy; all Oikawa wanted to do was forget the look of Iwaizumi’s heartbroken face that night, and no anesthesia worked better than the solid force of Ushijima between his legs. Rather, nothing worked better than pain and the primal satisfaction of being knotted just as his body required. Once an omega was marked, being away from their alpha often resulted in lethargy and a weakened immune system, so it wasn’t as if Oikawa didn’t have an excuse, but that didn’t stop the guilt every time he felt warm semen flood down his thighs after a night of carnal punishment.  

 

Practice was humiliating; wild gossip had already started to slither throughout the university and even the olympic volleyball circuit, but it was particularly obvious among their teammates. Kuroo could only do so much to curb speculative whispers. With only Ushijima’s lack of a Bond Mark to go on, most rumors centered around the idea that Oikawa was the first of Ushijima’s prospective harem. Condescending stares and pitiful glances accompanied Oikawa’s interactions, but all it did was propel him further into his concentration. He was talented, and fucking _good_ at this god damned sport, and he’d be damned if he let anyone label him as “just” Ushijima’s omega.

 

Oikawa couldn’t even seek Kuroo’s advice anymore, or even use him an ear to vent in. Kuroo’s patience was clearly wearing thin, as Oikawa discovered while the two finished up lunch between classes one day. A cool breeze indicating the end of summer had swept through the streets when Oikawa finally got a moment without classmates, teammates, and Ushijima to talk to Kuroo outside of a cafe off campus.

 

"Most omegas don't exactly purr for alphas they don't at least marginally like, Oikawa-kun. They also don't usually stay the night at said alpha's apartment," Kuroo had stated, traces of annoyance lining his normally sly features as he threw away his garbage from his meal. At that point, he wasn't even sure he should be giving this omega any more advice, since he seemed to listen even less than Ushijima. Perhaps stubbornness and volleyball talent shared the same DNA sequence.

 

Oikawa visibly groaned, but that didn't stop the flush of shame from appearing on his cheeks. His shoulders bristled defensively, "What do you know? You're still just a virgin anyway, Kuro-chan--"

 

A black eyebrow raised on Kuroo's forehead, dissolving annoyance into fresh curiosity.

 

"I am?" The middle blocker inquired, interrupting Oikawa. "When exactly did you come to that conclusion, all-knowing setter-chan?"

 

"Wait, you're...I was-" Oikawa paused in confusion, stopping behind him on the sidewalk on the way back to campus. "I mean--you said you hadn't Bonded with megane-kun so I-"

 

"Ahh...I wonder. You make too many assumptions," Kuroo remarked, menacing tone not unnoticed by the setter. "One doesn't have to have a Bond mark to have sex, Oikawa--” the alpha narrowed his eyes “-just ask Ushijima-kun."

 

Kuroo’s jab stung, but Oikawa supposed he should have expected it, and maybe he deserved it. Shoulders shrugging, he internally wondered why Kuroo seemed so sensitive about not being Bonded with that tall blond omega back in Sendai. Part of him felt guilty for always venting to Kuroo, and the incident with Iwaizumi and Ushijima that the alpha had to break up only illuminated how he’d been taking Kuroo for granted. He couldn’t fault Kuroo for his relatively mild irritation--Oikawa noticed that Kuroo’s scent had become more potent in the last few days, signaling a possible oncoming rut-- but hormones aside, Oikawa knew he was a handful to deal with. It was one of the reasons he appreciated Iwaizumi for putting up with him for a decade and a half.

 

Oikawa worded his next inquiry carefully, walking down the sidewalk next to Kuroo, “You don’t have to get that explicit, Kuroo-chan. I just...I’m sick of my hormones ruining my life. Literally the only thing keeping me and Ushijima together is our instincts. I can’t help my nature, and I don’t even know if Iwa-chan would forgive me-”

 

Jolting, immediate pressure tugged at the nape of Oikawa’s jacket, sending shock through his body as he was yanked sideways and he realized that it was Kuroo dragging him into an adjacent alleyway. Kuroo’s grip was impossibly rough, giving Oikawa no chance of escape before he could even register what was happening. Solid wall hit his shoulder blades and Oikawa felt the heat of Kuroo in front of him, the unmistakable presence of an alpha pressing against him and pinning him against his surroundings.

 

“Kuroo-chan, what are you--”

 

“Shut up,” Kuroo growled, breath hot against Oikawa’s Bond Mark. His scent was dangerous, full of alpha pheromones that reminded Oikawa just who he was trapped in this alleyway with. Kuroo snaked a hand under Oikawa’s chin, brushing against the omega’s still sensitive Bond Mark on the way up before gripping Oikawa’s cheek. Dark brown brows furrowed in confusion at the alpha, Oikawa’s gut flipping in anxiety. What was wrong with Kuroo? His rut was upcoming but it shouldn’t have started yet, there was no reason why Oikawa would be feeling his legs bullied apart by Kuroo’s knee.

 

“Oikawa-kun,” Kuroo addressed the omega in a seductively sultry voice, tempering his tone with lust. His knuckles caressed Oikawa’s jawline, to which the setter responded by attempting to jerk away. “Why don’t you choose me instead? I could treat you much better than Ushijima-kun, I bet... Why don’t you keep me company during my rut?”

 

Oikawa was taken aback, there was no way Kuroo was in his right mind. Unable to hide his fear, he cursed himself for forgetting that Kuroo was an alpha, clearly one with _needs_ , but that didn’t stop his disgust. Thick pheromones flooded the omega’s senses, Kuroo’s overwhelming scent filling Oikawa’s sensitive receptors. His Bond Mark throbbed, reminding Oikawa that this was not his alpha, this may have well have been a stranger pressing Oikawa’s legs apart. The alleyway was empty but the sidewalk was bustling, so much so that no one would probably notice a struggling omega; after all, even if they did, it wasn’t as if anyone would interfere with an alpha and omega quarrel.

 

“Kuroo--you-you’re not,” Oikawa gasped, hoarse voice pleading with the hungry alpha pressed against him. “Please don’t, I’m not--I can’t-”

 

“Why not?” Kuroo pressed on, his chest rumbling with a low growl and his free hand making its way up Oikawa’s pale torso. “I’m an alpha, Oikawa-kun. How can you refuse me? You were plenty ready to take my knot when you went into heat--”

 

“Kuroo, _stop_ ,” Oikawa snarled, trying to keep the fright from slipping into his demand. Oikawa grasped Kuroo’s wrist that was connected to the hand crawling over his abdomen, attempting to halt his touch. There was no warmth flushing through his body, no slick leaking from his ass, and every nerve was screaming at him to get away from Kuroo and his heavy pheromones. Panic and anger tugged raw at his voice and he jerked his head away from Kuroo’s prying gaze.

 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Oikawa’s voice dropped in pitch, attempting to mask his anxiety. “Go find Tsukishima, or maybe go to a brothel, fuck--I can’t-”

 

“Why not?” Kuroo persisted, refusing to let Oikawa break his gaze. He used his alpha presence to command Oikawa’s full attention, not permitting him to look away anymore. Asserting his dominance, Kuroo let his hand slip past Oikawa’s jawline and back to the setter’s hair.

 

“I told you, I won’t--”

 

“Why not?” Kuroo’s black eyes glinted in the alley’s sparse light, pressing even closer. Oikawa began to actually panic, this wasn’t Ushijima, this was unfamiliar, this scent didn’t work, this heat wasn’t _right--_

 

“You’re not--”

 

“ _Why not?_ ” The alpha’s persistent, heated hands gripped tighter on Oikawa, the setter’s knees almost giving out.

 

This time, Oikawa replied without thinking and dug his nails deep into Kuroo’s wrists, his voice full of conviction, “You’re not _him--_ ”

 

Suddenly, the heat disappeared immediately and didn’t even give Oikawa a chance to finish his reply. Kuroo had withdrawn his hands, stepping back away from the panting omega. Oikawa’s shoulders shook, adrenaline coursing through his arteries similar to when Iwaizumi had attacked him. Large brown eyes stared up at Kuroo’s expression and confusion furrowed his brow when he saw the alpha sighing, the same hands that had touched him now resting on the alpha’s hips.

 

“I was hoping you would have admitted that sooner than you did,” Kuroo shrugged, leaning towards Oikawa to inspect him. “I take it you know exactly who ‘him’ is, don’t you?”

 

 _That fucking asshole,_ Oikawa thought to himself bitterly. This must have been just a game to this alpha. But there was no lie in Kuroo’s words, Oikawa knew exactly who had come up in his mind when he knew exactly who he belonged to just now. “I should fucking strangle you, Kuroo--”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kuroo dismissed him with a slight wave, exhaling in what seemed to be his own relief. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do that, trust me. But you _do_ realize what that meant, don’t you?”

 

Oikawa just grit his teeth, turning away from the black haired alpha in contempt. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. You’re lucky I don’t knock your lights out.”

 

“You can do that later. But for now, I’ll explain this to you: you didn’t submit to me. You physically _couldn’t_ ,” Kuroo explained, raising his hands defensively and tipping his head to the side to show his scent gland to try and put the shaken omega at ease, “Because you’re not mine. But more importantly, _I’m not yours_ , and you didn’t respond to me, not even in the slightest. An omega that’s being controlled by his hormones and nothing else doesn’t fight back against an alpha like you did, Oikawa. You know who exactly ‘yours’ is.”

 

Kuroo wasn’t incorrect, but it wasn’t as if Oikawa could admit that yet. The setter grabbed at Kuroo’s shirt, his teeth bare, cheeks flushed with humiliation and anger. “So what, you decide to try and make a fool of me? I’ve _always_ trusted you--”

 

“I get it, and I’m sorry, but you won’t get it otherwise no matter how many times I explain it to you,” Kuroo demanded, letting Oikawa express his fury as much as he wanted but still refusing to back down. “You don’t want Ushijima-kun just because of your instincts. You’re not some hopeless pup in your first heat, you have more control than you realize and if you don’t wake up you’re going to keep hurting people by shirking responsibility.”

 

Oikawa’s gut sank, wind knocked out of him, almost as if Kuroo had physically struck him. If Kuroo was right, then he was just hurting Iwaizumi, and even Ushijima, by blaming his actions on only his hormones. In his deepest thoughts, he already knew he’d subconsciously scented Ushijima before his heat had started. He knew he didn’t hate his time with Ushijima, but admitting that would be as if he was nailing the coffin shut on everything he and Iwaizumi had possessed. What infuriated him even more was the conviction in Kuroo’s black pupils, because he knew he was right, and nothing Oikawa could say could contradict that.

 

“God, I just,” Oikawa faltered, his grip dropping from Kuroo’s stretched shirt. “I just don’t know what to do.”

 

Kuroo’s dark gaze softened into something more gentle. A hand grazed Oikawa’s shoulder in reassurance before responding, “Look, you don’t have to be honest with me. Or Iwaizumi. Or Ushijima. But you’re not doing yourself any favors by not being honest to yourself.”

 

Yet again, Kuroo’s nosy prying seemed to yield more information than Oikawa would have liked to admit, and it wasn’t exactly reassuring to be groped and called out like that, especially in a shady alley in broad daylight. Perhaps he was lying to himself about his feelings towards Ushijima. It had been easy to pretend that it was purely instinctual but there was no denying that there was something that he couldn’t quite label, a connection that extended beyond lust.

 

“Hey,” Kuroo called out to him, his voice deep yet gentle, “I really am sorry for that. In hindsight, there might have been a better way to get the point across, but--”

 

“No,” Oikawa interrupted the blocker with a shrug, gaze wistful and devoid of anger. “You...well, I’m not saying I forgive you, but I kind of owed you one. Or a couple. So maybe I can let it slide.”

 

A laugh rumbled in Kuroo’s throat, “Got it. Just promise not to tell Tsukki, he’s the jealous type, despite what he says.”

 

“Maybe I will, if you ever try anything to displease me again,” Oikawa’s haughty nature came through in his taunt as he shook off his residual nerves. “In the meantime, make sure you stay at least one meter away from me. Your pheromones stink.”

 

“Ah, speaking of which... You’ll probably want to shower before you see Ushijima-kun next,” Kuroo advised, sly tone edging into his teasing. “He won’t like you smelling like me.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Oikawa exhaled, running his fingers through his hair. “You’re lucky he seems to like you.”

 

“Oh? I’m happy I’m so popular,” Kuroo grinned. “It’s okay, I can give you some pointers if you want, Oikawa-kun.”

 

“Sometimes I really fucking hate you, Kuroo.”

 

* * *

 

 

Life in Ushijima’s apartment was comparable to a feral cat trapped in a cage with a wolf; Oikawa didn’t bother to do any of the traditional omegan activities that alphas usually expected of newly claimed mates. There was no nesting, no scenting, nothing that Oikawa knew Ushijima probably desired of him. Oikawa spent more time practicing his serves than trying to make this new place home, and he might have assumed he won in that aspect if Ushijima wasn’t usually in the gym with him. Evenings in their apartment usually ended in a tense stalemate, with neither giving in; Oikawa refused to cooperate, but that didn’t mean Ushijima didn’t take care of him. Domesticity was never Oikawa’s strong suit; he’d never been a model omega, and therefore Ushijima did most of the cooking (“You can’t perform on the court if you only eat milk bread, Oikawa.”). It was a small victory--perhaps Oikawa can pretend as if he wasn’t the submissive one. Oikawa refused to eat with Ushijima, instead choosing to spend the bare minimum with him off the court and out of the bedroom. He assumed the ace still kept tabs on him, most likely under the excuse of safety, but Oikawa still kept the alpha at arm’s length. He knew he could never expect Iwaizumi’s forgiveness--therefore Ushijima deserved none of his, no matter whatever effort Ushijima was putting forth.

 

Which is why Ushijima’s question caught him off guard one night after the pair had arrived to the apartment, back from evening practice. Darkness shrouded them when they reached the the door, the soft murmur of traffic in the distance the only sound other than Ushijima’s deep baritone.

 

“I’ve told my family that I’ve taken a mate.” Ushijima’s statement showed no shame as he opened the door. “Have you told yours about us?”

 

Oikawa stopped in his tracks, white fist clutching at his bag. He hadn’t received an angry phone call from his parents so far, so it was safe to assume Iwaizumi hadn’t said anything, which somehow hurt even more. Perhaps Iwaizumi had already forgotten about him, didn’t even find the situation worth phoning home about.  

 

Wait.

 

_Us?_

 

It was only then that Oikawa looked at Ushijima, truly looked at Ushijima, probably for the first time since they’d moved in together. Gold eyes shadowed with exhaustion looked back at Oikawa, and now the omega could see the weight on the tall alpha’s broad shoulders, the same shoulders he’d marked with his nails almost every night since he’d moved in. Ushijima’s tense, sculpted jawline seemed softer, and his brows furrowed.

 

He was tired.

 

“I...well, I don’t plan on marking you back, Ushiwaka,” Oikawa wanted to give his voice more edge, more anger, wanted to slice into the alpha like he always had whenever he’d brought up requesting Oikawa’s Mark. But something stopped him, his voice barely above a whisper in the chilled night air. “...I already told you that--”

 

“Then what are your plans?” Ushijima interrupted, hand reaching up to Oikawa’s bicep. Oikawa flinched as fingers pressed into his skin; they’d touched more than he’d like to admit in far more embarrassing ways, but this was disgusting and gentle and _intimate_. “It’s been two months since I’ve laid my Claim on you. Do you want to leave me after university? No matter your opinion of me, that wouldn’t be good for your health.”

 

Of course Oikawa knew that. No one knew better than he did. After all, it wasn’t as if he could ignore how his body physically ached if he stayed separated from Ushijima for too long even during this short month, how his Bond Mark throbbed in pain and arousal when his body decided he needed a knot _now_. Without their alpha’s regular attention, a marked omega’s heats would come more frequently and would be even more miserable.

 

Oikawa wanted to tug away from Ushijima, who had pulled the omega closer to his chest, but the look in the ace’s eyes dissolved any attempts; physically, he was no match for Ushijima, and the _something_ that looked like pain in Ushijima’s expression stopped him. “I don’t know, okay? I...I can’t...I can’t be happy with you, I _hate_ you--”  

 

Ushijima’s free hand reached up to grip the back of Oikawa’s head, tangling into auburn hair and yanking the omega’s face towards his, “You don’t hate me, Oikawa.”

 

Oikawa’s lips opened in protest, but a heated tongue slipped inside, forcefully licking at the omega’s teeth and palate in a hungered kiss. Weakness gripped Oikawa’s muscles as his body demanded that he just give in, his body needs it, and it would be _so easy_ after all. Two hands dug into Ushijima’s back, his jacket catching between Oikawa’s curling fingers. The omega’s tongue met Ushijima’s, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes with every pulse of ashamed arousal in his abdomen. Slick was already starting to threaten to leak down his thighs and stain his practice shorts, but he could barely focus on that after he realized why this kind of tenderness was so much more painful than any of the bruises Ushijima has ever given him.

 

With brutal, rough fucking, Oikawa could pretend these encounters were more like fighting than any kind of display of affection. With each ache and drop of blood, Oikawa could fuel the fire and his hatred and the idea that he felt nothing towards Ushijima, nothing like he’d felt for Iwaizumi. But with the gentle but solid heat reaching into his mouth and raking over his skin, Oikawa couldn’t help his heart swelling with the familiar feelings of something that very much wasn’t animosity and he _hated_ it. The last shred of possibility that maybe he should have been with Iwaizumi was the idea that he _couldn’t_ love Ushijima. His earlier encounter with Kuroo has shattered that idea to pieces and with Ushijima in front of him, it was difficult to resist. It was so easy to forget everything though, when Ushijima pulled back and crooned deep in his chest, a rumbling purr vibrating in the space between their chests.

 

“I won’t force you to stay with me after graduation,” Ushijima’s growl was pained yet authoritative in the shell of the omega’s sensitive ear, “and I’ll wait as long as you want me to for your Mark. But I can’t permit you to take another alpha. Anything but that, Tooru.”

 

The use of his given name from Ushijima was unfamiliar but intimate, sending a shiver down his spine. His brain fogged up with instinct and arousal and something else he didn’t want to admit, but thankfully it didn’t seem like Ushijima was requesting much chatter. A pulsing, wet heat began in his abdomen and swelled inside of him, slick beginning to leak from him in preparation. At first, leaking slick like a newly presented omegan slut humiliated him, but now it was anticipated, a reward his body gave him for letting his alpha embrace him. Oikawa turned his cheek, letting Ushijima see the Bond Mark he’d imprinted, and the alpha took no further hesitation and bit down, teeth gnawing at the raised scar tissue. Blood blossomed in the capillaries below Oikawa’s already flushed skin as Ushijima sucked at the source of his omega’s pheromones.

 

When Ushijima finally withdrew to look at his handiwork, a deep murmur filled Oikawa’s ear, “We should go inside.”

 

This offer was terribly dangerous. This wasn’t an offer of a brutal mating meant to satisfy an urge. This offer was extended out of affinity and protective instinct of _his_ omega, revealed by the glint of sincerity that flashed in Ushijima’s normally cold expression.

 

Oikawa bit his lip, more nervous than during any of their previous nights together. Kuroo’s words echoed in the only part of his head that wasn’t shrouded with images of Ushijima’s muscled core and intense eyes, eyes that beckoned him closer and drew more than just his body closer. It wasn’t only his hormones that were begging for Ushijima around him, on top of him, _inside_ him, and maybe that was okay. At least for now.

 

“Go ahead,” Oikawa purred, his breath warming the skin near Ushijima’s scent gland. Usually Oikawa would just provoke Ushijima into a lustful rage, or even tease him into a near rut, but this was gentle and _welcoming_.

 

If Ushijima was a patient man, he wasn’t showing it when he pulled Oikawa inside their dark apartment in one hurried motion, dropping their bags in the hallway with a thud. Ushijima’s rough hands grasped at Oikawa’s torso and clothing with barely restrained hunger, and Oikawa would have worried about his fancy athletic clothes ripping if he weren’t already soiling them with copious slick and omegan pheromones. Oikawa let himself be led back towards the bedroom they shared, Ushijima not breaking contact the entire time.

 

The bedroom was still dark, shaded by the late night hour, but Oikawa could still make out the flicker of desire in golden irises. At least he could for the brief moment the alpha faced him before a strong grip turned the omega around to face the bed, and Oikawa’s natural omega instincts arched his back towards his alpha. Fingers pressed down Oikawa’s torso  in the sparse moonlight, yanking his shirt up and off of him, shortly followed by his soaked shorts, Ushijima desperate to get closer to the source of the omega’s slick. The setter couldn’t help the purr that reverberated against the bed, which Ushijima felt in his palms that pressed against his omega’s smooth, toned back.

 

“You’re impossibly beautiful, Oikawa,” Ushijima murmured from behind his mate, leaning down to let Oikawa feel his heat behind him. “You’ll be even more beautiful once you let me put my child inside of you.”

 

Oikawa wasn’t expecting the exhilarating rush of arousal that pulsed through his entire body, nor was he expecting the high pitched moan that he could barely muffle with the sheets, a tremor causing his back to arch even further. His knees trembled at the thought of Ushijima actually impregnating him, filling him with seed until he was full of pups, but specifically _his alpha’s_ pups. A shiver accompanied an omegan whine that Oikawa couldn’t catch in his throat, legs parting shamefully, and the setter wasn’t sure he could have stopped his reaction even if he tried.

 

Ushijima released something between a growl and a chuckle, tightening his grip on Oikawa’s hips and pressing the bulge of his cock against the cleft of Oikawa’s bare ass, “Did you like that, my mate?”

 

The lungs Oikawa was supposed to be using to breathe were overworked, the setter panting underneath his alpha, and he could only reply with a weak nod, his eyes lidding beneath a curtain of damp auburn locks.

 

“So shameless,” Ushijima whispered, his breath doing nothing to cool off Oikawa’s heated neck, “You’re not even in heat, yet just the mention of my pups is enough to make you this needy. Have I been neglecting you?”

 

If Oikawa were in his right mind, he might have protested, might have come up with a quick jab to try and knock Ushijima down a peg, but now was no time for debate. Not when he was just dripping all over Ushijima’s cock and rutting backwards in an attempt for relief. Not when the ace was completely right, that Oikawa’s member hardened and his insides throbbed with the need for a knot.

 

“Please,” Oikawa let a moment of weakness stumble from his wet lips. “I just, I can’t--just take me, _alpha--_ ”

 

“Shhh,” Ushijima reassured his writhing mate, bringing a hand down to Oikawa’s wet hole. A finger padded around the omegan entrance, gathering slick and making setter buck backwards with wanton whimpers. “I’ll spoil you, just like you need.”

 

As Ushijima withdrew, he let his free hand trace from Oikawa’s Bond Mark, down his spine, and down to meet the hand that was already teasing Oikawa’s ass. Seeing his mate so lustful and full of desire without the usual hatred tugged at his emotions, ones most people didn’t think he had. Since his confrontation with Iwaizumi Hajime, he’d tried his hardest to keep from exerting his alpha dominance over Oikawa in order to keep him from pulling away, but in the bedroom he could make no promises. Nothing riled him up more than watching his omega croon and bat pretty eyelashes at other alphas, something Oikawa seemed more than willing to do, and the result was a very hungry Ushijima who wanted nothing but Oikawa’s Mark. Without having given a Mark to an alpha, a marked omega released an alluring scent that didn’t help the situation. Still, Ushijima knew if he were to ever earn Oikawa’s trust, and his affection, he had to let the setter move at his own pace.

 

“You’re so wet, Oikawa,” Ushijima marveled, his voice gruff and low with arousal. “You must really want me to fuck my pups into you.”

 

A whining pitch accompanied Oikawa’s gyrating hips, because Ushijima’s cock was _so close_ but it wasn’t enough, he needed more, he needed his alpha more than the air in his lungs. Swollen lips opened in protest, but when two thick fingers pressed deep inside the omega’s gushing hole, any complaints were shoved out of him in the form of obscene moans. Perspiration and slick coated Oikawa’s body as Ushijima worked his fingers inside his omega, pressing deep to feel for Oikawa’s womb entrance. An omega’s cervix was barely noticeable outside of heat, but that didn’t stop Ushijima from reaching as deep as his fingers let him.

 

“This is _mine,_  Oikawa,” Ushijma languidly stroked the opening of Oikawa’s womb, “This is where my, _our,_  pups will take root.”

 

Oikawa positively couldn’t breath, his swollen member leaking onto the bed below him while his chest heaved in desperate fits. He didn’t want pups yet, he really _didn’t_ , it was too soon and there was so much more he wanted to do with his life, but that didn’t make the throbbing in his ass and on his neck any weaker. Long, pale legs shook with every press of Ushijima’s fingers, red flush dusting the setter’s flesh, and saliva pooled underneath his cheeks on the bed. Here he was, naked and exposed, spread open and his most intimate parts being savored by Ushijima’s invading digits. Oikawa was writhing underneath his alpha, a beautiful portrait of slick flesh and damp hair sticking to the omega’s forehead, and the setter’s insides were searing hot, warm and wet impossibly inviting.

 

“Ushijima,” Oikawa moaned out, barely coherent underneath the lust. His eyes were lidded, ass quivering in Ushijima’s grasp, “You...you’re--”

 

“Too deep?” Ushijima pressed harder against the omega’s twitching insides, his voice restrained, “Ah, but I’m not where I want to be just yet, omega.”

 

“Just-- _fuck_ ,” Oikawa threw his head back when Ushijima’s fingers managed to graze his prostate and press against the opening of his womb at the same time, “Alpha, alpha, _please_!”

 

“That’s it,” Ushijima’s hunger was blatant now, his brows furrowed and eyes focused intently on the salacious squeeze of Oikawa’s entrance sucking on his fingers, “Sing for me, Tooru.”

 

If Oikawa could think properly, he might have wondered how Ushijima was holding on for this long, but nothing gripped his mind other than the sensation of _almost_ being filled like he needed. He would also probably be embarrassed by his wanton cries, bordering on an instinctual omegan whine, a pitch any alpha recognized as submission and need. This wasn’t what he’d imagined when he fingered himself during his early heats, and he knew there was someone he was supposed to be thinking about, but Ushijima always managed to consume him until he could barely remember his own name, much less anyone else’s. The setter’s fingers scrambled for purchase on the sheets, nails clawing into the damp softness of the bed.

 

Meanwhile, Ushijima’s knot was pulsing with need, dormant at the base of the alpha’s dick, demanding to be released from the confines of the alpha’s athletic shorts, and he complied with one hand. The sound of Oikawa’s voice, delicate and breathy and needy, tugged at his instincts, and while he wanted to see Oikawa unravel even further, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t drive himself into an early rut if he pushed his own patience any longer. Withdrawing his fingers, Ushijima savored the wet squelch Oikawa’s hole gave.

 

“Tooru,” Ushijima addressed his omega with authority, breath ragged. “Turn over.”

 

“Ushi-”

 

“Now.” The pitch in the alpha’s voice left no debate.

 

Oikawa used shaky legs to collapse on the bed and turn over, but before he could register anything else, a thick weight pressed down on the bed beside him. Ushijima’s muscled form laid beside him, chest heaving with the labored breathing of an alpha pushed further than he should have been.

 

“What are-?” Oikawa began to question, but two hands on his hips lifted him up to lean forward and hover on top of Ushijima face to face. Now the setter was mere centimeters away from his alpha’s throbbing cock, the head red and swollen, base thickened with dormant knot. His legs shook, only held up by Ushijima’s hands, and his torso fell forward.

 

“Ride me,” Ushijima ordered with a growl, “Show me how much you want my pups, omega.”

 

An involuntary shiver ran through Oikawa’s spine, slick dripping down onto the alpha’s cockhead, and all he could manage was a weak nod of acknowledgement. They’d never fucked like this, with Oikawa on top, maybe because it was too intimate or humiliating, and perhaps Oikawa might have protested if something in his mind wasn’t telling him that maybe it was okay to be intimate with his alpha.

 

Trembling hands grasped at Ushijima’s broad shoulders, fingernails digging into tanned flesh, breathy moans hovering in the small distance between their lips. Ushijima’s large hands were grasping him tight, gently lowering Oikawa onto his erection, guiding his omega with alpha authority. Oikawa’s inner walls coiled around Ushijima’s thick cockhead, flesh twisting around the foreskin before Ushijima finally was able to press in fully with an unrestrained growl. Oikawa couldn’t stop the gasp that burst from his throat, wet on the back of his teeth, but warm lips swallowed his cry as Ushijima leaned up and kissed the setter with fervent passion. Two shadows joined in the darkness, moonlight illuminating the moisture coating Oikawa’s delicate eyelashes.

 

_You’re perfect, Tooru._

 

Ushijima’s hips propelled upwards with powerful lower body strength, using his arms to shove Oikawa down as punishingly as he would if he were mounting the setter from behind. Oikawa’s thick pheromones pulsed from his scent gland, making Ushijima dizzy with pleasure and affinity for this beautiful omega. Ushijima’s own pheromones were released, the alpha’s unique scent able to soothe his omega and dull the pain of penetration. Ushijima’s tongue penetrated Oikawa’s mouth, licking deep just as his cock struck down to the base inside of the setter.

 

Auburn eyes rolled back, lifeless not with boredom but with pure submission. Submission to his own feelings as well as submission to his alpha’s thick cock pounding inside of him. Ushijima kept his hands on Oikawa’s hips, but now that Oikawa’s hole was finally tasting what it craved, the setter couldn’t stop his hips from rolling in Ushijima’s lap. The angle was punishing, Oikawa’s entire body weight pushing Ushijima’s length into his deepest parts, and Oikawa could have sworn that his insides were pulsing with the need to take in this alpha’s seed. The omega’s nerves danced with the fire of pleasure and the perfect physical connection unique to an alpha omega pair, his hips bouncing on the dick inside him. His entrance fluttered around Ushijima’s dormant knot, begging for it.

 

Their kisses were messy, a tangling of tongues and saliva and pheromones and teeth, with Oikawa nipping along the edges of Ushijima’s already bruised lips. Ushijima set a rough pace, and Oikawa matched him, riding his alpha with intensity, his omega member rock hard and grazing Ushijima’s rippled abs. Oikawa finally pulled back from Ushijima’s lips but only to cry out when a particularly brutal thrust inside him landed the head of the ace’s cock right against Oikawa’s deeply buried omega cervix. Throwing his head back, Oikawa shuddered, tongue leaking saliva down his chin and dripping down to his nipples, not even able to hide his obscenity.

 

Ushijima meanwhile was starving for _more_ , golden eyes finally blown out feral with lust, shoulder muscles tensed with effort. White teeth clenched behind bitten lips and he let out praise of his omega, “That’s it, Tooru, that’s it. Ride me like you’ve always wanted.”

 

Oikawa didn’t have time to process Ushijima’s words, only the craving inside him demanding he work his alpha’s cock to orgasm, until he was so stuffed full of seed that he would conceive, contraception be damned. With each thrust down, it was as if his body were making room for Ushijima’s cock, rearranging his insides. They’d fucked, multiple times, but somehow this was different, not full of one-sided animosity or spite. Seeing Ushijima’s pupils dilated with desire, Oikawa knew he felt the same, and he would be terrified if he wasn’t fucking his own brains out with Ushijima’s dick.

 

“Alpha, alpha-!” Oikawa’s breathy purrs came out hurried in between the vicious thrusts Ushijima met his hips with, “I can’t, I’m going to-”

 

“I know,” Ushijima immediately replied, jaw clenched and perspiration beading on his body. “You can come, I’ve got you, I’ll always have you.”

 

And it was true; Ushijima would never let him go. He had no desire to take another omega, or start a harem like the rumors claimed. All he wanted was to give _his_ omega everything. He’d spent years pining, but this moment where Oikawa was finally showing him something other than contempt made it all worth it.

 

Including everything he gave up.

 

“Tooru,” Ushijima crooned, alpha purr vibrating in his chest. “I’m going to knot you, fill you up, give you my pups--”

 

The ace’s obscene utterances echoed in Oikawa’s ears, and the setter wanted to hold out for longer, but the trembling in his hips was too much to bear. He was too full, and the idea of Ushijima’s knot expanding, filling him, shooting potent cum up into the deepest parts of his fertile body made Oikawa lose it. Translucent cum shot out of the head of Oikawa’s cock, splattering across Ushijima’s tensing chest, and debilitating pleasure seized the omega’s body, making his legs twitch in effort. Slick copiously pooled underneath the pair, trailing from Oikawa’s clenching ass down past Ushijima’s heavy balls, because Oikawa was ready for that knot, he _needed_ it. His head was delirious with pleasure, nerves tingling and insides pulsing, but what he wasn’t expecting was the throbbing in his gums as he sank down onto Ushijima’s chest to let him have his way. The sensation was odd, almost taking away from the orgasm Ushijima was fucking him through, but his teeth seemed to be shifting, tongue salivating yet it just seemed to get drier with each pulse of Ushijima’s growing knot.

 

“Fuck,” the alpha swore, grip on Oikawa’s hips tightening. He was close, inhaling the scent of Oikawa’s pheromones from the top of his omega’s hair under his nose. Ushijima’s hips shoved upwards, his knot threatening to catch with every thrust. “How are you still so _tight_?”  

 

All Oikawa could do was shudder, his mouth failing to let him respond with the tingling in his gums. His lips were hovering near Ushijima’s clavicle, dangerously close to the alpha’s scent gland, and Oikawa couldn’t help but breath in pheromones. At this point, Oikawa was limp, letting his body be fucked up into by Ushijima’s trained body, and every throb of the cock inside him signaled he was one second closer to being knotted.

 

“Tooru,” Ushijima called out, heated breath ruffling Oikawa’s hair, “Tooru, Tooru, _Tooru--_ ”

 

And then Oikawa felt it: Ushijima’s hands held him down at the base of the alpha’s cock, making sure his entrance swallowed every inch whole. Ushijima’s knot swelled to full thickness, stretching Oikawa’s hole, locking the pair together so that the omega couldn’t escape even if he’d wanted to. Thick pulses of alpha seed shot inside Oikawa’s seizing insides, flooding his abused passage with searing heat, and the setter’s hips convulsed with every throb of the knot inside him. Oikawa’s eyes were blown out, wide with overstimulation, and he couldn’t help but give a high pitched whine as he was filled.

 

Ushijima was stroking Oikawa’s damp locks, kissing the top of his head with tenderness, in direct contradiction of the violent throbbing of his cock inside his mate. Deep murmurs reverberated against Oikawa’s head but he could only focus on the gnawing feeling in his gums. Before he could open his mouth, a pinprick and the taste of blood filled his tongue, spreading copper through his tastebuds. A slight cough wracked his throat at the taste and painful sensation, and he opened his mouth immediately, startling Ushijima.

 

“Tooru, what’s wrong?” A panting Ushijima asked, bringing a hand to Oikawa’s chin. His eyes shadowed with concern, studying Oikawa’s face.

 

Oikawa winced, yanking upwards and away from the pain, which caused them both to flinch since they were very much still locked together. Before Oikawa could respond, Ushijima grabbed the omega’s chin, gently stroking the line of Oikawa’s jaw.

 

“Open.” The alpha demanded, pressing a thumb past Oikawa’s lips. Shamefully, Oikawa obeyed; at this point, he’d figured out what happened, even before Ushijima.

 

His canines had descended, for the first time.

 

Ushijima’s thumb grazed two canines, sharpened and prominent in Oikawa’s slick mouth, twinged with the crimson of pin pricking the omega’s own lips. The blush of humiliation dusted Oikawa’s cheeks, accompanying the flush of post-orgasm glow. Even Ushijima appeared confused; it was rare for an omega to unintentionally descend his canines, particularly while not in heat. Silence hovered between them, only the sound of their labored breathing filled the room. Both of them knew what this meant. Something must have happened for Oikawa’s body to demand that his canines descend. Oikawa had never tried to force his canines to descend, and he knew that it was most likely to occur during a heat, so he never gave it much thought.

 

Instead of responding, or asking for an explanation, Ushijima simply withdrew his thumb, choosing instead to pull Oikawa down for a kiss. The fear of confusion still edged at Oikawa’s mind, but Ushijima’s intensity kept him from worrying too much. At least for that moment. Oikawa wanted to pull away, but even if the knot were anything close to slipping out of him yet, he knew he wouldn’t be able to.

 

_Is this...am I giving up?_

 

* * *

 

A piping ringtone dinged in the darkness of Kuroo’s apartment in the athletics complex. Lazily sprawled on his bed, Kuroo rustled in his sheets, his shirtless torso rising up in groggy fashion. The bedroom thrummed with the buzz of a fan, the only light illuminating the cat-like alpha’s face coming from his cell phone.  An annoyed thumb unlocked his phone, looking for the source of the beeping, because he _knows_ he didn’t set his alarm for what had to be two in the goddamn morning. Tomorrow was one of his few days off without practice or classes, and if this was Oikawa asking for advice he was absolutely going to go down the hallway and break the omega’s phone in half himself. With his rut upcoming, he already didn't get much sleep.

 

“Fuck,” Kuroo groaned as the bright LED screen caused his eyes to squint. Tired fingers held the phone up, and a yawn edged out of his lips.

 

Finally, he found the source of the beeping. A throb in his chest surged a pulse of wakefulness in his body, his eyes intently mesmerized by the digital letters on the screen.

 

_Tsukki:_

 

_Are you awake?_

 

A grin spread over the alpha’s mischievous lips, equal parts relief and exhilaration; he hadn’t been able to get Tsukishima to reach out to him first since he’d left for college. Their correspondence was brief, usually heavy on Kuroo’s end, but that was to be expected after everything that had happened. He didn’t care though; he’d wait as long as he could to prove he was serious.

 

“At two in the morning, no less,” Kuroo noted, “What a bad boy, Tsukki...”

 

Fingers with newly found energy danced across the keys, pressing send in an instant.

 

_I am._

 

* * *

 

 

The setter sprawled across Ushijima’s bed in the late AM hours, sunlight creeping in through the window. Oikawa was alone in bed, with Ushijima seemingly out for his morning run; Oikawa rarely woke up to Ushijima actually in the apartment. His body stuck with sweat and dried slick, and last night was the first time he’d gone to bed without cleaning up. The feeling of wetness still clung to his insides, and a soft flutter of arousal made him shudder at the feeling of Ushijima’s sperm threatening to leak out. His shower was brief, but desperately needed. Droplets of heated water ran down his frame and down the drain, the omega gingerly licking the sore, closed wounds on the inside of his mouth.

 

Oikawa _needed_ to tell his mother he took Ushijima’s Mark. After all, it only made sense; the last thing he wanted was for her to find out from someone else, or god forbid, a volleyball magazine. Not to mention it would be easier to do it now rather than wait until his canines have another “accident” and he genuinely claimed Ushijima for real. He had to tell her. Besides, it wasn’t as if burying his head in the sand would erase this Mark; it wouldn’t bring Iwaizumi back to him, nor would it stop whatever it was he felt for Ushijima.

 

Meanwhile, deep, controlled breaths came from Ushijima’s broad chest in the morning air; his daily run had taken him to the far end of the campus. Blood rushing through his veins, he trained vigorously, thoroughly energized by Oikawa’s blatant physical admission of acceptance. He had become intimately familiar with his mate’s scent and hormonal fluctuations, and he knew Oikawa’s heat wasn’t near, which made the omega’s canines even more rare and exciting. The idea of receiving Oikawa’s Bond Mark enthralled him more than he’d like to admit and made his scent gland throb with anticipation. Some alphas saw laying a Claim on their omega to be the ultimate form of dominance, the only true way to have an omega mate submit, but Ushijima held a very different opinion. Oikawa’s Mark symbolized more than just monogamy: it signified acceptance, the idea of Oikawa telling the entire world that Ushijima was _his_ alpha. It was a stepping stone towards being able to make his omega happy, to give him the life they needed together.

 

A vibrating buzz in his pocket against his leg stirred Ushijima from his thoughts, making him halt in his tracks on the sidewalk. Ushijima pulled out his phone, and a text popped up. Bright letters read SHIRABU KENJIROU across his screen. Wiping his perspiration with his sleeve, the alpha opened the text.

 

_Hi Ushijima-sempai! How’s Tokyo??? I’m visiting this weekend to scout out some colleges, wanna grab dinner?_

 

Shirabu Kenjirou, his omega setter in high school. While it wouldn’t be too bad to catch up with his old teammate, the idea of diverting any attention away from his own omega when he was so close to achieving his goal seemed pointless.

 

Without replying, the ace slipped his phone back in his pocket for now.

 

* * *

 

After his shower, Oikawa dug through his sports bag, the one so unceremoniously dropped last night in the middle of the hallway. Rustling through his equipment, Oikawa found the pocket his phone was in and found his mother’s contact with shaky fingers; he knew he was going to get an earful, but if he didn’t tell her, his mother would just be one more person he’s hurt by his inaction.

 

“Tooru?” Oikawa’s mother answered, her chipper voice a source of automatic relief for the omega; his mother was an omega and the source of most of the advice he’d needed in his life before college. A warm, touching woman with a tongue as sharp as her son, Oikawa’s mother was most likely where he received his precociousness from. “How is my star athlete doing?”

 

“Hey Mom,” Oikawa smiled, leaning against the doorway that led to the bedroom. “I don’t know if you’ve talked to Iwa-chan, but--”

 

“Hajime-kun? Oh I know, right? I was wondering when you were going to call and whine to me about that,” Oikawa’s mom laughed. “His mother told me the other day. What are you going to do without him?”

 

Oikawa’s brow cocked in confusion; this was not the reaction he was expecting. “Wait, you already know? Why didn’t you call me before? I’m sorry, I should have-”

 

“No, no, Tooru,” his mother reassured, “He told us not to call you about it because you were too busy. His mother’s looking forward to having him closer to home though!”

 

_Wait, what?_

 

“Wait, what...what are you talking about?” An uneasiness welled in Oikawa’s stomach, white fingers clenching the phone harder than he needed.

 

“Hajime-kun’s already chosen a college here for next semester, don’t you remember? The paperwork apparently just went through,” his mother answered. “He applied for a scholarship here in Sendai, Tooru. That’s what you were calling about, right?”

 

“Mom, I...” Oikawa’s voice welled up with involuntary spasms, “That’s...Iwa-chan never said he--”

 

Grief gripped Oikawa’s vocal chords. Iwaizumi was transferring? Without even saying anything? Well of course he didn’t, it wasn’t as if Oikawa had much of a chance to see him.

 

“Oh Tooru,” his mother’s tone fell, realizing that she’d broken the news to her son. “I’m so sorry. I thought you knew? He didn’t tell you?”

 

 _No. He fucking didn’t._ And why would he? Oikawa had done the worst to Iwaizumi, barely even deserved to ask him why. But he knew why. It was all his fault; Kuroo was still correct. He couldn’t blame this completely on Ushijima.

 

“I’m--I’m sorry, Mom,” hiccups gripped Oikawa’s apology, face crumpling in effort to hold back tears. How could he be so shameless with Ushijima? “I just, I need to go. Love you.”

 

With that, Oikawa hung up, letting his hand drop to his side. Droplets from his still wet hair dripped down his face, merging with the moisture welling up in his eyes and his shoulders trembled with shock and misery. He knew that once Iwaizumi left, there was no chance of seeing him again. Despite everything with Ushijima, the thought of forever losing Iwaizumi, even as a friend, filled him with heartache. In reality, he knew he had no leg to stand on if he were to ask Iwaizumi to stay in Tokyo. After all, they both knew the only reason Iwaizumi left Sendai for Tokyo was to follow his supposed omega. Him transferring was a natural order, nothing that shouldn’t be expected, and he knew if Ushijima knew he’d be relieved to find out his competition was moving away.

 

_“He told us not to call you about it because you were too busy.”_

 

A quiet sob wracked through his body. Even after everything, Iwaizumi had still protected him. Images of every time Iwaizumi had shielded him from his own failures on and off the court flooded through his mind, memories of growing up with his best friend rising back up inside him.

 

He had to stop Iwaizumi from leaving. At any cost.

 

Leaving his apartment with his hair still damp, Oikawa wasn’t sure where to find Iwaizumi on campus; he figured he could call or text, but knowing Iwaizumi, if the alpha was trying to avoid him, knowing Oikawa was looking for him would only push him farther away. The streets surrounding the university were bustling, busy with afternoon traffic and leisurely pedestrians and students relaxing for their weekend, but Oikawa was anything but. The setter darted through groups of people, eyes wild and darting around him. Clouds began to form overhead, and Oikawa cursed himself for not bringing an umbrella when he felt the first few drops of a drizzle on his cheek, but he couldn’t let that distract him. The droplets only obscured his vision even more, and he would have noticed the chill reaching to his bones if he weren’t so desperate to find his childhood friend.

 

Then, it hit him. He didn’t know why he didn’t think of it earlier; he hadn’t been there many times, but Oikawa hoped Iwaizumi still had that apartment he’d shown him in the beginning of the year. Wracking his mind for the address, Oikawa set foot in the general direction of the apartment complex he remembered.

 

* * *

 

In his apartment, Iwaizumi taped up the last box of his kitchen supplies, in preparation for the move. The scratch of stretching tape echoed in the mostly empty apartment, the only things still remaining being the bed and necessary toiletries. The hardwood floors were chilled and cold against his feet, the soft pitter of rain hitting the living room window reverberating through the modest apartment.

 

Iwaizumi had wanted to tell Oikawa he was leaving. He really did, but considering his last attempt to talk to Oikawa ended with him almost getting his face bashed in, he had swallowed his pride. His emotional wounds were still fresh without adding any more, and seeing Oikawa seemed to do nothing but stab him with pain and rip him apart. Iwaizumi wasn’t a particularly emotional person, nor a very sentimental person, but he’d always assumed even if Oikawa didn’t want him as a mate, he was still valued as a friend. But seeing the two of them together, _touching_ , as Oikawa purred in Ushijima’s arms was enough to make him realize that Oikawa didn’t need him anymore.

 

Maybe he never did.

 

Iwaizumi shook off the thought, giving a gruff sigh as he stood back up. His train ticket to Sendai left in two days, and he planned on immediately transferring to a university in his hometown. After the night he fought with Ushijima, he’d considered maybe going to school overseas, trying to put as much distance between himself and Oikawa as possible. But something inside him kept him from making that plunge, and even worse, he couldn’t bring himself to apply for universities outside of their hometown. Maybe he just wanted to be closer to his family, maybe he was planning on being the stability Oikawa had always known, ready for the omega to come back to him.

 

No, that’s ridiculous.

 

Dragging him out of his thoughts, a repetitive, loud knocking came from the other side of his front door, the sound echoing in the emptiness. Iwaizumi’s dark eyes narrowed in slight confusion, but he assumed it was his landlord coming to scold him for breaking his lease. Or maybe it was one of the old ladies that lived down the hall with another batch of sweets, since he had apparently unknowingly become a favorite among the elderly women in his complex.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” Iwaizumi called out, walking over to his door. Turning the knob, Iwaizumi opened the door.

 

He’d been expecting his landlord, or an elderly lady, or even an ambitious child selling candy, but what he didn’t expect was a stark white, dripping wet, shivering omega. Oikawa Tooru stood, barely, on his doorstep, a huddled mess of soaked clothing and anxiety, his skin shining so pale Iwaizumi might have genuinely assumed he was seeing a ghost if he didn’t know any better. Shock seized the alpha’s system, his gut sinking; all he wanted to do was pull in this needy omega and take care of him just like he always used to but he’s not allowed to do that anymore. Oikawa doesn’t belong to him, and never will. Disgust welled up, dissolving the surprise in Iwaizumi’s now harsh gaze.

 

When Iwaizumi spoke, his jaw was tense, arms folded in the doorway, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Oikawa’s cry came out exasperated, his shoulders shaking. “I came to--”

 

“Came to _what_?” Iwaizumi cut in, unable to contain his anger. “Came to make fun of me? Humiliate me again? Haven’t you done enough to me?”

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa called out, reaching a tentative hand towards Iwaizumi’s stiff shoulders. “Please, don’t abandon me--”

 

“You abandoned me first,” Iwaizumi spat out, fury and hurt seeping into his low voice. "You think I'm supposed to just sit here and watch you? Every time I see you, I smell him on you. Don't be so fucking _selfish_ , Tooru."

 

Oikawa’s heart raced, _No, No, No, that’s not what I want---_

 

_What do I want?_

 

“But I-I love you, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa’s voice broke. They were physically so close yet he’d never felt more distance between them than at this moment.

 

“Shut up,” Iwaizumi barked, slapping Oikawa’s hand away from him. “You...you shouldn’t be here. _Your alpha_ wouldn’t approve.”

 

Iwaizumi’s words stung, but Oikawa knew he should have expected it, even if that didn’t make it hurt any less. The setter looked into his childhood friend’s eyes, and they were dark pools full of conflict, but Oikawa felt relieved to see no genuine hatred. In the rain, an alpha and an omega’s scent was more potent, and Oikawa could detect distress but not anger, and that only gave him hope. But before Oikawa could protest again, Iwaizumi began to pull away from his door frame, putting distance between them. A tanned hand withdrew to pull the door shut, but Oikawa reacted with reflex, freezing hands grabbing at the door.

 

“Please, Iwa-chan, just,” Oikawa begged, fingers digging into the door frame in desperation. Blood welled up from near his fingernails at the crushing force.

 

“Just what?” Iwaizumi growled, hurt seeping into his voice. “What more do you want from me?!”

 

Oikawa was desperate, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. If he let Iwaizumi shut this door, he might as well be saying goodbye to everything they’d ever had, and anything they ever could have. His heart swelled with grief, instability gripping his judgement. All he knew was he _had_ to keep Iwaizumi here, he couldn’t be without him. His Bond Mark throbbed ominously, sending spikes of pain throughout his neck, but he couldn’t help but give out one last offer.

 

“Please, _Iwa-chan_!” the pain in Oikawa’s voice cracked his pleas. “I can’t bear your mark but...you can still bear mine.”

 

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened, his grip on the door loosening. “...What?”

 

Oikawa met him with stern eyes and trembling lips, his conviction not wavering. Taken aback, Iwaizumi didn't shove the setter away when Oikawa reached his hands back up to grasp into the alpha's chest.

 

“Fuck me, Iwa-chan.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man I’m evil lmao. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, IWA-CHAN
> 
> Also this chapter was filthy. I’m horrible. RIP my morals. 
> 
> PSA: For those of you interested in Kuroo and Tsukishima’s story/prequel, here's a shameless plug for As They Say! I’m working on that piece as well and am working on it more now that I have a bit more time :3 Expect that to be updated next, then probably Nothing More, Nothing Less. Then ATW.
> 
> (that is, if I dont just crank out Ch 8 of ATW asap because I want to lmao)


	8. Truancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT *sweats nervously*
> 
> Im sorry this took fucking forever. My real life kind of fell apart and I've been working 12 hours a day and only had 2 days off this month KILL ME NOW.
> 
> Basically I kinda of put this on the back burner until I started getting into YOI hell and started reading some amazing long, slow burn fanfics. I would check back every day like "WHY HAVENT YOU UPDATED PLZ ;_;" but...I hadn't updated mine yet. LOL OOPS. So I figured if I enjoyed others' fics I need to actually write down the rest of mine. You can see those YOI fics in my bookmarks if you're interested~
> 
> ANYWAY this chapter is just under 7k words so Im sorry its a bit short but I am ending it next chapter (I was gonna make it all this chapter but decided to split it apart)

Oikawa’s words hung in the air, his plea echoing in Iwaizumi’s mind, drowning out even the increasing thrum of the rain. Iwaizumi’s heart felt like it was going to burst under the tight tug of the setter’s fingers grasping at his shirt, his dark brows furrowed into harsh lines.

 

_“Fuck me.”_

 

Iwaizumi liked to think he wasn't a weak person, or a weak alpha--he'd been Oikawa's pillar for years, and he’d always been dependable, even if he was a bit rough around the edges. He'd always stuck to his moral code, he'd always been reliable, always the one to drag Oikawa back to the realms of basic decency. It would be excruciatingly difficult, but could do it--he could turn Oikawa away right now. He could rip himself from the omega’s white knuckles and just slam the door in his face, history be damned. No one would blame him for shoving the shivering setter back towards the cold rain, in fact it would be expected of an honorable alpha. Oikawa had betrayed him in the worst way, twisted a knife in the gut of his alpha pride and more importantly, his love. _Their_ love. The alpha knew he didn’t deserve to be humiliated like that, to be toyed with like this. He knew there was no biological way to make Oikawa his, knew that letting himself be Claimed by a taken omega would be the ultimate disgrace for an alpha.

 

But his love for Oikawa went beyond his pride as an alpha, shattering his instincts that _should_ be repulsed by a Claimed omega. His hormones rushed through his veins and between his ears, but it’s the swell in his chest, the swell of pain and love and everything he’s _ever_ felt for Oikawa exploding inside him, tension snapping through his rational senses.

Iwaizumi broke.

 

“ _Come here,_ ” Iwaizumi growled, warm hand yanking on Oikawa’s wrists to detangle them from his shirt. Oikawa was jolted forward with the hunger of an alpha eager to claim was was his.

 

Tears welled up again against Oikawa’s damp eyelashes, his breath caught in his throat, gratitude spilling over his cheeks. Iwaizumi didn’t say anything else, just pulled Oikawa inside his mostly empty apartment before consuming him. Hungry, starving teeth nipped at Oikawa’s lips, a tongue forcing its way into Oikawa’s mouth. Iwaizumi’s hands grasped at the setter, running up his sides and slipping behind Oikawa’s head and pulling him flush against his body. Lightning clapped outside, briefly illuminating the dim apartment, but all Oikawa could sense was Iwaizumi’s touch and the warmth of the alpha’s hands snaking under his shirt. Oikawa’s clothes were soaking wet, his hair dripping onto the bridge of Iwaizumi’s nose, hands quivering as he returned Iwaizumi’s rushed embrace. Despite the nagging uneasiness in the pit of his stomach and the painful throbbing in his Bond Mark, as if Oikawa’s instincts _knew_ this wasn’t his alpha, the omega couldn’t help but melt to Iwaizumi’s touch.

 

Oikawa tasted familiar, tasted just like home, like _happiness_ . Iwaizumi couldn't help but ravish Oikawa in an attempt to claim back what was his, because he's never been good at saying no to him, not really. He couldn't wait for Oikawa's shock to subside, impatiently licking deep inside the setter's mouth to coax out his pink tongue. He's waited too long to have Tooru, and he thought he'd never be able to taste him again. Oikawa's scent was thick, sweet, dripping into Iwaizumi's senses like adrenaline, and it was _almost_ enough to edge out the drop of someone else that lingered on the omega, like an aftertaste on a poorly mixed drink. Iwaizumi knew what he was tasting, but his chest swelled with just having Oikawa in his arms again that all he could focus on was how good and perfect this felt, how perfect Oikawa felt.

The door slammed behind them, and the rain pulsed outside, but all Iwaizumi could hear was the blood rushing through his veins, his tongue reaching so far deep into Oikawa's mouth that he could almost feel the omega's heart beating. He knew his own was pounding in his chest, the pulsing throb shooting through him.

"I love you, Tooru," Iwaizumi's pained, gruff voice growled into Oikawa's wet lips, rough hands running under the setter's soaked shirt across chilled skin. "I love you, I love you, _I love you-_ "

"Iwa-chan-" Oikawa's tearful gasp dusted across Iwaizumi's tongue, fingernails clawing into Iwaizumi's broad back.

"Shut up-" Iwaizumi interrupted, desperation seeping into his order. He was afraid of what Oikawa would say, terrified that his childhood friend would say anything to break him out of his fantasy that Oikawa could be his, even for a moment. He couldn't bear it if Oikawa mentioned _him_ , shattering his already fragile heart. Iwaizumi was already desperately trying to ignore the telltale Bond Mark on Oikawa, deep violet in the half-darkness, because he _knew_ it was freshly bitten by the hue, meaning Ushijima must have had his way with the setter not even a day ago, how shameless was Oikawa-- "Just shut up and _let me have you._ "

 

 _Don't ruin this, please._ Iwaizumi’s plea hung unsaid between breath between them.

Oikawa understood, he always understood his Iwa-chan, it was why he'd fallen in love with him years and years ago. Even so, his instincts knew not to oppose such a passionate order from an alpha, even if it wasn't his alpha. All he let leave his lips were wet gasps that caught on his shivering teeth. He was chilled to his bone, half due to the elements and half due to the sheer fear he experienced at the idea of Iwaizumi leaving his life. He knew it was selfish, knew that this came with consequences, but when Iwaizumi pulled Oikawa onto the floor with him, his memories of who he already belonged to seemed to get too fuzzy to remember. The setter's instincts compelled him to be repulsed by this other alpha, this biological _stranger_ , but he suffocated them with all he had.

 

The hardwood floor was freezing against Oikawa’s back, water droplets pooling around him, but Iwaizumi was perfectly heated, pressing between Oikawa's legs to claim as much territory as he could. Iwaizumi continued to assault Oikawa's lips, forehead, and cheeks with his fervent affection, blanketing every inch with his scent in an instinctive attempt to drown out the scent of any other alpha. This omega was _his_ , dammit, how dare he even think of giving up just because another alpha had tried to erase everything they've been through?

 

"Tooru," Iwaizumi called out between messy kisses, weakness breaking through his alpha instincts, "Please be mine, Tooru, please, don't leave me again, I-"

 

"I'm here," Oikawa half-sobbed in Iwaizumi's arms. “Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan, _Hajime-_ ”

 

Iwaizumi silenced the omega with another brutal kiss, grinding between Oikawa’s legs with dominant intent. The bulge in his pants was already impossibly tight, and having a soaking wet Oikawa Tooru writhing underneath him was a weakness he knew he couldn’t resist. He’s never been able to resist Oikawa, from the softness of his auburn hair to the curve of his lean musculature to the large round eyes full of mischief, as if they were constantly daring Iwaizumi to ask for more.

 

“Off,” a gruff order interrupted their kiss, Iwaizumi’s hands tearing at Oikawa’s clothing. Oikawa assisted him in a rush of limbs as another crack of lightning illuminated the empty living room. Iwaizumi took no time in resuming his consumption of Oikawa’s flesh with his hands, feeling every line, every curve, every inch of Oikawa’s beautifully trained, exposed body.

 

“Hajime, Hajime,” Oikawa repeated as a flush dusted his damp cheeks, spreading from his neck down to his now bare chest. “Please, let me--let me service you, please--”

 

Iwaizumi’s breath caught in his throat, a growl full of desire rumbling through his chest. It had been so so long since they had done anything, but Oikawa was still the same lewd temptress that had seduced him back in high school with the smallest of obscene glances that always told the story of how badly he _needed_ it.

 

“God I missed you,” Iwaizumi almost laughed, his voice a low purr as he brought his teeth to Oikawa’s shoulder, “You’re still such a _slut--_ ”

 

Oikawa grinned through water-lined eyes, hands clawing up Iwaizumi’s back, not taking any insult from the alpha’s words. This time, there was no bite, nothing but affectionate teasing, almost as if they were back in high school with playful jabs and no worries.

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa’s voice broke with emotion, his gut flipping with anxiety and arousal and guilt. He was overwhelmed by Iwaizumi’s acceptance, he didn’t deserve this, he didn’t deserve anything. The Bond Mark on his neck throbbed ominously, and his body _knew_ this wasn’t the alpha that had Claimed him, but the voice inside him was the voice that had gotten him stuck in this mess to begin with. He couldn’t listen to that voice anymore--that voice was weak, driven by omegan instincts to breed. He wasn’t leaking slick yet, but he knew he would soon, just like he always had every time he’d had a taste of Iwa-chan.

 

It’s not like his body knew what was best for him.

 

“Yeah...yeah, okay,” Iwaizumi let Oikawa’s wandering hands pull to unfasten his pants, eyes hungrily following the omega’s every movement in direct contradiction to his quiet reply. Oikawa hadn’t sucked him off since the beginning of university, and he never was able to refuse that hot, wet mouth, especially it was accompanied by those eyes.

 

When Oikawa nestled between Iwaizumi’s strong, tanned legs, he nuzzled on the bulge in Iwaizumi’s boxer briefs, cooing when his cheek hit the ridge at the base of the alpha’s cock, the dormant knot that Oikawa had fantasized about. His lips were already swollen from Iwaizumi sucking on them, and saliva pooled in his mouth in preparation, knees shifting on the slick floor. Iwaizumi ran a hand behind Oikawa’s head, gripping into damp, brown strands, to tell the omega to hurry on with it, he’s waited _too long_. Oikawa’s scent was painfully different, tainted with a hint of the acrid taste of Ushijima’s, and Iwaizumi wasn’t sure he could hold on much longer without the sweet distraction Oikawa’s promised.

 

“Tooru,” a warning slipped from Iwaizumi’s throat, his adam’s apple moving on the hard line of his neck. His dick was past the point of throbbing, almost ready to knot even without having come into contact with slick, and he would be concerned with the lack of slick his senses detected, but Oikawa chose that moment to finally envelop the swollen head of his member with his lips. “Oh Tooru...”

 

Oikawa relished in Iwaizumi’s groan of pleasure, tasting the alpha thoroughly, tonguing under the foreskin with fervor. Iwaizumi tasted hearty and male just like he remembered, his scent concentrated at his cock, the masculine fragrance of leather and spiced whiskey filling Oikawa’s senses. The alpha’s pride was thick in Oikawa’s mouth, stretching his jaw--Iwaizumi was just as thick as Ushijima, even if not quite as long, but he pushed those thoughts in the back of his mind as he pushed further down Iwaizumi’s reddened shaft. His gag reflex triggered as he accepted Iwaizumi into his mouth, sucking with sloppy hunger that made Iwaizumi’s eyes glaze over in pleasure. Relaxing his throat, the setter moaned around the girth inside his mouth, tongue laving out to lick at the dormant knot, feeling the pulse of an alpha that needed to _claim_.

 

Iwaizumi bit his bottom lip, drawing just enough blood so he could taste it on his teeth, wanting to shove Oikawa down onto his cock until the omega was choking and spluttering all over the floor. Despite the itch in his tense, well built arms, no, he wasn’t like that; he was a respectable alpha, not like Ushijima, who must be brutal, judging by the constellations of fading bruises that he can’t help but notice on Oikawa’s body.

 

Precum began to leak out in spurts down Oikawa’s convulsing throat as he bobbed his head eagerly, tracing his tongue around all the spots he knew Iwaizumi loved. Iwaizumi’s deep, rumbling growls encouraged him, so different from Ushijima’s relative silence. Compared to Ushijima’s beastly grip, Iwaizumi is so gentle, never pushing him further than he can take.

 

“God, Tooru,” a hint of Iwaizumi’s old, teasing self came through for just a moment, eyes softening with affection as his walls were gently eroded. “You are so much prettier when you can’t say anything with that smart mouth of yours.”  

 

Oikawa grinned against the length between his lips, eyes twinging with relief that he could see even the smallest bit of the old Iwaizumi, _his_ Iwa-chan, even after everything.

 

Even after Ushijima.

 

To keep from focusing on the lack of slick his body had produced as well as the shooting pain that radiated from his Bond Mark, Oikawa took a break from Iwaizumi’s cock to suck on three of his fingers; if he wasn’t leaking slick, he was going to have to prepare himself. Iwaizumi’s hand grabbed at Oikawa’s before the omega could reach back to his entrance.

 

“Don’t,” Iwaizumi began, brows furrowed, chest heaving with arousal. “Let me taste you.”

 

“Iwa-chan, I--you don’t need--” Oikawa began to argue, but was interrupted by Iwaizumi shoving his shoulders down onto the floor and a pair of muscled arms pushing the setter’s knees towards his chest. Dark eyes bore into the omega’s twitching asshole, red and swollen from what had to be regular fucking, but the anger only made his dick throb at the sight and the possibility of conquer. No matter who’d had this omega before, he was going take him from Ushijima Wakatoshi.

 

Iwaizumi wasn’t stupid; he knew why Oikawa wasn’t wet. While the thought was hard to swallow, like bile tainting his throat, he knew this was what he’d chosen. After all, Oikawa hadn’t Claimed Ushijima--if he was dedicated to the other alpha, he would have Claimed him. Shoving all thoughts of the other alpha in Oikawa’s scent, Iwaizumi dove into Oikawa with his tongue, lapping around the red of the omega’s heated entrance.

 

“Oh,” Oikawa gasped, hands tightening in black locks, hips jerking in Iwaizumi’s grip. “Oh, Iwa-chan, that’s so good, you take such good care of me, _fuck-_ ”

 

Iwaizumi meanwhile was too far gone to make much sense of Oikawa’s cries, the wet muscle of his tongue shoving as deep inside Oikawa as he could go, pressing against clenching walls. Oikawa’s insides were searing against his tongue, the taste of omega, of _Oikawa_ , filling his senses. Finally Iwaizumi started to taste a hint of slick, the liquid at last infiltrating his taste buds. Oikawa knew when Iwaizumi tasted his slick--the hands on his legs clenched, tanned fingers digging into his preexistent bruises, and all Oikawa could do was throw his head back on the hardwood floor. The omega knew there was someone else his body was thinking of, and that this slick was almost defensive in measure, but the pleasure from being serviced by such a familiar alpha made his eyes flutter and heart swell. Oikawa knew he needed to take advantage of this moment of weakness, this moment where his body was actually accepting Iwaizumi’s scent, even if only momentarily.

 

“Please,” Oikawa hurriedly begged when Iwaizumi swirled his tongue impossibly deep inside the setter, sending a full body shudder through him. “Don’t tease me, Hajime, give your omega what he needs, _Iwa-chan_ \--”

 

A pleased growl reverberated again Oikawa’s asshole, the hardness of Iwaizumi’s teeth grazing his delicate flesh as the alpha withdrew, slick and saliva dripping down his chin. Hearing Oikawa beg for him so sweetly, so desperately, just made Iwaizumi grind against him, the blunt head of his cock pressing against the omega’s asscheeks. His pupils were dilated, black pools of heady desire, the haze clouding his rational thoughts. With Oikawa under him, gyrating and grinding so submissively, he could almost pretend that this wasn’t a lie, that the setter belonged to him, that no one had taken him away, that--

 

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi’s voice dropped an octave, dark alpha pheromones emanating from his scent gland, as if he was trying to erase all traces of Ushijima’s scent from the area. “On your knees.”

 

Oikawa knew better than to argue--even if this wasn’t his alpha, even if his stomach twisted with anxiety and nausea despite his arousal. With shaky hands, Oikawa turned himself over in front of Iwaizumi, his vulnerability causing his knees to wobble on the solid surface of the freezing cold floor. Iwaizumi’s hungry gaze locked on Oikawa’s body, his face shaded in the darkness as the omega brought back two trembling hands behind him. Oikawa’s breath came out heaving, the pit in his insides equal parts arousal and fear, and he knew where this fear was coming from, but that didn’t stop him. Using uneasy fingers, the omega parted his ass and presented himself and his wet, flushed hole for Iwaizumi, just like he’d always imagined during his early heats. He wanted this, he needed this.

 

Right?

 

“Hajime,” Oikawa murmured against wood, his cheek imprinted by the floor. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed outside, the rain picking up, humming against the side of the building, but it was nowhere near loud enough to drown out the setter’s unease.

 

But it’s too late for that.

 

Iwaizumi growled, heavy in his chest behind Oikawa, and the alpha’s hands gripped Oikawa’s hips with intent. This was it, he was finally going to have this omega, this beautiful, annoying, horrible childhood friend of his, his first true love. The alpha’s dick was jutting forward in angry red arousal, thick head leaking copious amounts of precum against Oikawa’s clenching entrance, and his logical side knew he shouldn’t do this, Oikawa’s body wasn’t prepared to accept him, the omega’s hole wet but not wet enough but--

 

The alpha shoved inside, striking home in one powerful thrust.

 

“ _Hajime_!” Oikawa cried out, throwing his head back on Iwaizumi’s shoulder behind him. Iwaizumi’s cock was heated and thick, the bulbous head pressing deep into his insides and spreading his walls brutally apart. His rim was too dry, his passage was too tight, and his own member’s hardness was fading with every painful second.

 

“Tooru,” Iwaizumi groaned against Oikawa’s ear, grinding his hips in the omega as if he wasn’t already painfully deep. “You feel so good, you feel _perfect_ , god I’m sorry, I can’t--”

 

The alpha instincts in him drove his hips forward, driving into Oikawa with a punishing pace. It was if his body wanted to imprint the feeling of filling the omega up in Oikawa’s brain, to try and drive out any remaining thoughts of the one who left that _unsightly_ Bond Mark. He didn’t want to be this rough, but the lack of slick and the hormones thrumming in his veins were a lost cause; Iwaizumi’s alpha side was proud Oikawa was taking this for him, taking him _so well_ despite everything. The obscene smack of their hips filled the mostly empty apartment, shadows joining in the flash of lightning against the wall, and Iwaizumi’s world narrowed to the side of Oikawa’s face he could see--pale, biting his lips, cheek shoved against the floor in pure submission. Cries of pain and pleasure were muffled against rosy lips red with effort and most likely blood.

 

Little did Iwaizumi know, one of the reasons why the omega was clenching so tightly onto his lips was pure nausea that his body was unwillingly welling up. Oikawa’s insides were twisting around Iwaizumi’s pistoning member, his body confused and betrayed by his own actions, but that didn’t stop Oikawa from doing his best to pleasure the alpha inside him. Despite the unwelcome invasion, Oikawa’s body shuddered every time the huge head of Iwaizumi’s cock hit his swollen prostate, conflicting emotion and sensation causing his eyes to open wide in glassy anxiety.

 

Iwaizumi could smell the nerves in Oikawa’s scent, but the way the omega’s tight passage squeezed his hardness, clenching on his quickly burgeoning knot, the alpha could barely think straight. His hands dug deeper into the setter’s trembling hips, spurred on by the whimpers he fucked out of his childhood friend. They weren’t omegan whines, but that didn’t mean the sound didn’t haze his thoughts, didn’t drive him to the brink of irrationality. The sheen of sweat, remnants of slick, and at least a few drops of rain on Oikawa’s back caught in the flashing illumination of lightning outside, the omega’s body trembling with what Iwaizumi assumed to be arousal.

 

“Hajime,” Oikawa repeated again, his voice high pitched, distress dripping into his cries. “I love you, I love you, don’t try to leave me again, _please-_ ”

 

In the back of his mind, behind the lust, Iwaizumi wanted Oikawa to be lost in pleasure and affection, not trying to grasp onto what he thinks he’s lost. Looking down at Oikawa’s tense body, he decided to flip him over. Taking his cock out, his brain cursed at the momentary loss, Iwaizumi’s broad arms pulled Oikawa onto his back, sliding his knees between the omega’s long, crumpled legs. Like this, he could see the rapid rise in Oikawa’s chest, pink nipples pert and cock flushed even after everything.

 

Teeth grinding in his mouth, Iwaizumi slid into Oikawa and continued to fuck into him with animalistic fervor, putting every emotion he’s ever felt for him in his thrusts. Dark eyes attempted to gloss over the darker fluid coating his cock’s base, trickling between the both of them and down Oikawa’s ass--this omega’s body wasn’t made for him, not like this.

 

“I love you, Tooru,” Iwaizumi purred deep in his throat, “Be mine, please be mine--”

 

Oikawa responded by bringing two hands around Iwaizumi’s back pulling him in for a kiss just as Iwaizumi’s dick pressed deep against his prostate, and he was done. Despite his nausea, his cock spurted white fluid across their chests, the setter’s orgasm being milked out of him by his prostate, high pitched gasps sputtering against the heated, perspiring skin of the alpha on top of him. Instantly, guilt washed over him, tainting the affection he was trying to focus towards Iwaizumi, but deep golden eyes kept invading his field of vision.

 

Hearing Oikawa’s breath hitch in his ear was enough to completely unravel Iwaizumi; his knot fully expanded inside of the setter’s taut hole, stretching it so tight he knew there was no way Oikawa wasn’t tearing. Searing come flooded inside Oikawa, the heat of Iwaizumi’s semen pooling with the anxiety in his stomach, and his eyes clenched in pain. The warmth of the come inside him was anything but soothing to his entrance that was stretched to its limit, microtears shooting pain through the setter’s nerves.

 

“Oh god,” despair gripped Oikawa’s voice, “oh god--it’s--- _it hurts_! I can’t-”

 

“I know, I know,” Iwaizumi reassured his desired omega. Still his cock pumped spurt after spurt of seed inside Oikawa, pleasure racking through his powerful muscles. “I’ve got you, Tooru.”

 

Iwaizumi was more than ready to Mark Oikawa. If not from his scent gland, he was going to Mark Oikawa inside with his seed, pushing his essence so deep into the omega that he would be coughing it up. It was then that Iwaizumi remembered Oikawa’s promise to Claim him, to imprint his Bond Mark deep on Iwaizumi’s scent gland, just like they’d always planned. Yet, the only sensation against Iwaizumi’s scent gland was the heavy breathing of an omega in distress. Iwaizumi’s eyes widened, his lust somewhat subsiding now that he was able to knot his chosen mate, but the most important thing, the only reason he even allowed Oikawa in his apartment tonight--

 

“I’m sorry, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa murmured through the pain, tears welling up and falling down his cheeks onto Iwaizumi. His chest heaved against Iwaizumi’s, his teeth not reacting like they had with Ushijima, and he was horrified at the relief his body felt when he realized his canines weren’t descending.

 

“Descend your teeth,” Iwaizumi gave a pained demand, shoving his hips further against Oikawa’s plugged entrance. “Give me your Mark! Tooru, you said--you _promised--_ ”

 

Oikawa’s voice caught in his constricting throat, his teeth gnashing in his jaw against the alpha’s neck. Fresh humiliation welled up in his impossibly full insides, the heat of Iwaizumi’s seed mixing with newfound sickness. His teeth grinded uselessly against Iwaizumi’s skin, his canines failing to descend despite his best efforts; without sharpened canines, an omega had no hope of piercing an alpha’s well protected scent gland. He’d done so much, come so far, even got over his hormonal instincts to submit to Iwaizumi, why couldn’t he just do this one thing for him?

 

Flashes of deep brown hair, broad shoulders, and a square jawline filled Oikawa’s mind, and he knew, he just _knew_ -

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa called out, unable to struggle as they were still tied together with Iwaizumi’s knot. “Please, don’t--don’t hate me, I’m sorry, I’m trying, don’t leave me, I can’t--”

 

Realization sunk Iwaizumi’s last shreds of happiness, his own insides feeling hollow with rejection. Was he not good enough? Was he not a good enough lay? Did Oikawa actually Mark Ushijima and not tell him? Hot tears welled up in Iwaizumi’s dark eyes, his face creasing in anger and sadness. They laid there on Iwaizumi’s floor, as cold as he’d ever felt it, quietly sobbing against each other.  

 

They both knew what this meant, even if they couldn’t say it.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Outside the apartment Oikawa shared with Ushijima, the rain poured, trees shifting with the wind. Inside, the alpha paced in their living room; he knew Oikawa was supposed to be back by now, he didn’t have any classes today or practice. The omega hadn’t answered his phone, and Ushijima had already called Kuroo, but to no avail. His fists clenched at his side, and he knew he promised himself he was going to give Oikawa space, but that didn’t help the uneasiness that stemmed from being apart from his mate for so long, heightened by not knowing where he was. Darkness has shrouded their apartment aside from the dim living room lamp, Ushijima too anxious to fool with much else. He considered calling their team captain, or maybe even asking the school directory for Oikawa’s parents’ information when the front door clicked.

 

Standing in the doorway was his mate--he barely recognized him, but that was definitely Oikawa. His clothes were dripping, a bruise on his face, hair matted against his face. His jacket was tattered, buttons on his shirt fastened haphazardly, and the omega leaned against the doorframe as if it was taking all of his energy to keep upright.

 

“Oikawa!” Ushijima called out to him urgently, relief flooding over him. He stepped forward, taking Oikawa’s shaking body into his arms, not caring about getting his own clothing wet. He was just thrilled that he didn’t have to call the police and that he wasn’t murdered in a ditch somewhere. Clutching him tight, the alpha inhaled Oikawa’s scent, releasing his own to scent mark his mate after their absence.

 

Still, Ushijima’s alpha senses prickled at this scent. Oikawa smelled dirty--more accurately, his naturally beautiful scent was tainted by something else, another _alpha_ , the scent horrifyingly strongest at Oikawa’s lower half. That was when it hit him; something was very very wrong with his mate. He pulled away from Oikawa, concern shrouding his handsome face with worry and suspicion.  

 

“I’m sorry, Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa’s voice cracked, his entire body shaking in Ushijima’s arms. “I went--I went to Iwa-chan’s, and we...I--I’m sorry, my body didn’t even--”

 

Red hot anger twisted Ushijima’s insides, his instincts gripping with fear. His hands on Oikawa’s shaking shoulders tightened, a fire burning behind his amber eyes. Ushijima’s pupils dilated in rage, the whites of his eyes flashing deadly in the darkness. This was his worst fear, and by the scent he picked up, dread pulled at his senses, making his throat almost too tight to speak. Ushijima chose his words carefully and quietly, “Did he...did he rape you, Tooru?”

 

Tears burst up in Oikawa’s auburn irises, his entire body crumpling in Ushijima’s arms. He’d fucked up, he knew it--there was no way Ushijima would forgive him. He’d like to lie, to put the blame on Iwa-chan, but he knew that if Iwaizumi had ever meant anything to him, he could never lie about something as serious as this, even if it literally kills him.

 

Ushijima held his breath, eyebrows furrowed in fury. If Iwaizumi forced himself on his mate, there was no other way to end this; he would have to kill him. He would have to dismember the other alpha limb by limb, just tear him apart until Iwaizumi Hajime was just a pile of gore and bring only scraps of flesh to Oikawa to show the omega he’d succeeded in neutralizing the threat to their bond. Would Oikawa want him to file a police report? Should Ushijima have even touched him? Should he get a bag to put any evidence in and--

 

The setter’s voice rang out before Ushijima could suggest anything.

 

“He didn’t force me. I...offered my Mark to him.”

 

Oikawa’s confession hung in the air between them, silence gripping them both. The setter cringed, flinching in fear; he had no idea what Ushijima’s reaction would be, but he knew he deserved it. That didn’t make his already hurting body any more prepared for what came next.

 

Dark golden eyes widened in shock, the most surprise Oikawa’s ever seen in the alpha, and then they narrowed, zoning into Oikawa’s fearful coffee tinted gaze. The hand that had been gripping Oikawa’s left shoulder rose up slowly, then snatched at the setter’s defenseless jaw with alpha reflexes Oikawa knew he had. Pain seared from their contact, Oikawa’s damp jaw clenching but not making any attempt to flee--he knew any attempt at escape would be met with more wrath than he could even imagine. He deserved it,he was selfish, he deserved neither alpha.

 

Ushijima’s steely expression was terrifying, his scent potent and deadly, and if they were outside, any alpha within a five mile radius would have been affected. It was suffocating to Oikawa, who already could barely breathe due to Ushijima’s crushing grip on his jaw as well as his sobbing. The hard lines of Ushijima’s body were tense, as if he could snap any second and it was taking every ounce of restraint he had to process what Oikawa had just admitted. The two men bore into each other’s eyes, Oikawa deeply wanting to look away but Ushijima’s potent pheromones holding his gaze locked, as if he was searching for answers in the omega’s watery eyes.

 

“What’s your end goal here?” Ushijima finally spoke, the baritone in his voice rich with fury, his hand shaking against the omega.

 

“I-I’m sorry,” Oikawa tried again, his voice faltering into a choking sob, his own fear making his legs so weak he was sure Ushijima was the one holding him upright at this point. Ushijima paused, taking in the bitter, obscene scent of wetness and blood seeping from Oikawa’s ass.

 

“You let him knot you,” Ushijima stated with almost callous indifference, as if he himself was realizing it as he spoke. “Even after last night.”

 

Pain flickered in the anger inside Ushijima’s eyes, the shadows of the night filling into the lines of raw hurt across his face.

 

“I told you,” Ushijima began quietly, his tone ominous, “I told you I’d wait as long as you’d like. I gave you one rule, omega.”

 

Oikawa’s eyes widened and then softened; Ushijima had been so patient. “I know, alpha, I know, I just...I didn’t give him my Mark, I _couldn’t--"_

 

“ _Silence._ ” Ushijima barked his order, raising his voice like Oikawa had never seen him do before. “You’re an omega, listen when an alpha is speaking.”

 

 _Oh no,_ Oikawa realized. If Ushijima was reverting to hierarchy based terminology rooting in nothing but instinct, he was too far gone already. His scent was overpowering, and Oikawa wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have pissed himself in fear if he could. His omegan instincts told him to flee, that this was the scent of an alpha looking for blood, no matter that this was his alpha. Ushijima gave a growl full of pain and anger and pressed him against the wall, his back hitting hard surface with no grace, and before Oikawa could even wince, Ushijima’s hand was against his scruff, keeping him from moving.

 

Ushijima had snapped.

 

Rough hands pawed at Oikawa’s body, brutally tearing away the omega’s already tattered and soaked clothes. Buttons scattered across the wood floor, wet fabric falling to the floor in shreds away from Oikawa’s shivering pale body. Ushijima’s eyes raked up his omega, taking note of every single bruise that wasn’t his, lingering on the faint remnants of blood and semen between his omega’s long legs. The alpha lifted one of Oikawa’s legs easily, exposing his entrance and making him whine in pain, the stinging fire dancing through the omega’s nerves as his sore ass met Ushijima’s hand.

 

“Please, have mercy,” Oikawa begged. This Ushijima was terrifying, nothing like the gentle alpha he’d descended his canines for last night. That tenderness ghosted in his thoughts but was promptly extinguished when Ushijima’s deep voice interrupted his pleas.

 

“You're lucky I don't lock you up and knot you until you're bleeding. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? That’s why you test me like this-- You...you _want_ me to be some brutal, unfeeling alpha like that image you’ve always had of me since we were god damned _kids_ . I should--I should take away your contraceptives,” Ushijima snarled against his mate’s neck, and Oikawa’s eyes went wide with shock; legally, an alpha could restrict his mate’s birth control and assert full control over his omega if he so chose. The practice was archaic, stemming from the need for post-war population, but that didn’t mean there weren’t cases of cruel alphas doing it in recent times. “You’d like that as well, I bet. Your slutty hole just _begs_ for a knot, you don’t even care whose it is do you? I should make you have my pups, knock you up so that everyone knows you’re _mine_ no matter who’s tried to have you.”

 

Ushijima pressed his two fingers in deep, twisting in Oikawa’s wet, spasming insides. Iwaizumi’s seed leaked out from the omega’s stretched entrance, dripping down over tense knuckles, letting Ushijima know exactly how far they’d gone. Oikawa shuddered and squealed in pain--his ass was still sore from taking Iwaizumi’s knot. His body naturally didn’t respond and self lubricate for Iwaizumi, and the knot had been exceptionally painful in more ways than just emotionally.

 

“You’re _filthy,_ ” Ushijima’s eyes were full of anger, his scent thick between the two, his jaw a rigid line of fury. The grip Ushijima had on Oikawa’s scruff was punishing, yanking at the hairs on the base of his neck, but it was nothing compared to the force the alpha was using inside him.   

 

It seemed as if Oikawa was genuinely trying to make Ushijima go insane. Was he being tested? He knew he wasn’t perfect, Oikawa seemed to enjoy reminding him every day, but he didn’t deserve this. All he wanted was to make Oikawa happy, to make the best out of their misunderstood situation, to protect him--

 

_All I ever wanted was to be yours._

 

"I'm sorry," Oikawa apologized, breath coming out in short gasps, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, _Wakatoshi--_ "

 

"Get out."

 

“Please, don’t, I--”

 

Oikawa’s plea was stifled by the boom of Ushijima’s white fist making contact with the wall. This was dangerous.

 

“ _Get out._ ”

 

The idea that Oikawa would use this moment to call Ushijima by his given name was infuriating; here Oikawa was, still dripping with Iwaizumi Hajime's semen, calling out to him for the first time. The alpha's vision clouded with anger, more out of control than he's ever been. 

 

“Wakatoshi, please, I-I don’t know where I’d even...” Oikawa started, trying to appeal to the last shred of logic inside Ushijima.

 

“ _Take your clothes, and leave._ ” _Before I do something horrible,_ Ushijima's voice implied, seeped in alpha authority, using his rarely-used pheromones to force Oikawa to obey. Oikawa’s knees shook, his protests catching on the back of his teeth, and he knew there was no arguing with Ushijima here. The potent scent of alpha rage permeated the air suffocating him, and he knew he had to leave before he was genuinely in danger.

 

Even in this state, Ushijima was looking out for his safety by telling him to leave. It made fresh tears well up in Oikawa’s eyes as he hurriedly gathered his practice bag full of clothes, hastily dressed himself, and bolted out the door, his body limping in pain. He left Ushijima in the apartment and went to the only other place he knew might take him.

 

* * *

 

 

Kuroo woke up from his nap by a knock on his door, barely audible in the storm. He stretched out across his bed, black t-shirt riding up his trained body as he ran his fingers through his hair. A yawn stretched his features as sauntered over to his door. Upon opening his door, Kuroo was greeted to the sight of a disheveled Oikawa, who’d so far shown up at three separate alphas’ apartments this night wet and shivering, and concern furrowed his black brows. He reached out to Oikawa’s shoulder, letting the omega lean on him. Oikawa was listless, at the point where he was so upset that he couldn’t even cry anymore.

 

"What happened to you? You look like-"

 

"You don't want to finish that," Oikawa gave the most menacing smile he could given his exhaustion. “Can I...can I stay here? For tonight? Or maybe two days?”

 

“Okay, well...” Kuroo began cautiously, keeping contact with Oikawa in case he would fall over. He could tell this was serious, if Oikawa’s scent of distress was anything to go by. “You don’t have to answer my questions or anything, but...you can’t stay here.”

 

Oikawa opened his mouth to give a weak, pained protest, when Kuroo interrupted him.

 

“It’s not me, Oikawa,” Kuroo reassured him. “But I _do_ have an omega I’m courting. I can’t have another omega stay at my place, it wouldn’t be fair to him, even if it’s just you. I...I’m sorry. I really am. But I’ll take you to Bokuto’s--Akaashi is there for the weekend.”

 

* * *

 

Ushijima took pills he’d stashed in his medicine cabinet, pills he rarely took, and he took them with shaking hands. He’d never felt the need to take them before, but a rut right now would just end in misery for everyone involved. Before tonight, he’d been looking forward to his next rut, hoping that Oikawa would have spent it with him. But now, all he could focus on was getting these pills down his throat so he could think about literally anything but the auburn haired omega who had so carelessly tossed him aside like garbage. Placing the rest in his pocket, Ushijima encountered the solid weight of his phone.

 

Suddenly, in the fit of his weakness, Ushijima thumbed through his phone, the light of the screen illuminating the pained lines of his chiseled face.

 

_Shirabu? Are you still in Tokyo?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man this was rough to write
> 
> I flip flopped between whether or not Oikawa and Iwa-chan would actually fuck but I wanted to show that even when Oikawa was willing and no one was there to interrupt, it just...doesn't work. POOR IWAIZUMI I LOVE YOU YOU DID YOUR BEST 
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments/reviews/bookmarks/kudos! I read every one of them ;_;


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